Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror on Hulu: The Case Against Christopher Thomas
Documentary series about Samantha Stites who survived 11 years of stalking and a brutal kidnapping before justice was served
What is the series about?
Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror on Hulu is a three-part documentary series from ABC News Studios that charts the harrowing ordeal Samantha Stites experienced from 2011 to 2022. The series focuses in its third episode, 'Justice', on the legal aftermath and the final conviction of her perpetrator, Christopher Thomas. The story is set in Grand Traverse County, Michigan, where an apparently innocent college contact developed into a life-threatening obsession. Read more about Samantha Stites here .
The real case
The real case behind Stalking Samantha: 13 Years of Terror began in 2011 when Samantha Stites met Christopher Thomas. Over the next 11 years, Thomas escalated his behavior, showing up unannounced at Stites' workplace, her gym, and her private residence. Despite Stites having a restraining order against him for a time, Thomas managed to continue the harassment. The situation culminated in 2022 when Thomas kidnapped Stites and locked her in a soundproof storage unit he had set up for this purpose. Here, she was subjected to repeated sexual assaults. During her captivity, Stites used her psychological insight to manipulate Thomas, which ultimately led to him releasing her, after which she was able to escape and contact authorities. It later emerged that Thomas was heavily inspired by the fictional series 'You', which brought further attention to the case in American media. See details about the Christopher Thomas case .
Timeline of the case
The timeline spans over a decade and is marked by systemic failures in the legal system. Samantha Stites had originally been granted a Personal Protection Order (PPO) that was valid for six years. However, when she attempted to renew the order shortly before the kidnapping in 2022, the request was denied by the court, leaving her unprotected. After the kidnapping and the subsequent arrest of Christopher Thomas, he was brought before a court in Michigan. He was found guilty of, among other charges, kidnapping and aggravated sexual assault and received a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.