PORTLAND, Ore. — What began as the end of a relationship turned into months of stalking, threats and eventually a terrifying house fire after a California man followed his former girlfriend across state lines.
Eric Alexander, 43, was sentenced last week to 20 years and 10 months in prison after pleading guilty to a long list of charges connected to the disturbing series of events.
According to the Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office, Alexander had previously been in a relationship with the victim for about a year and a half. The relationship ended in July 2024, after which the woman moved to Oregon.
By late September, she learned that Alexander had followed her to Portland.
Prosecutors said Alexander was “enraged” by the breakup. Although the former couple met twice after he arrived in Oregon, the woman eventually made it clear that she did not want further contact.
That did not stop Alexander.
Graphic Threats Escalate the Situation
According to prosecutors, Alexander began posting videos on social media and sending messages containing graphic threats about killing the woman and others.
The situation became even more dangerous as authorities said Alexander’s behavior escalated beyond harassment and stalking.
The Multnomah County District Attorney’s Office said Alexander had an extensive history of mental illness spanning roughly two decades.
Prosecutors later described him as being in a state of psychosis when he came to believe that his intended victim was connected to a Portland-area family.
That belief allegedly caused Alexander to shift his focus toward the family, including the woman and children who lived at the home.
He began sending threatening emails to the family, prosecutors said, setting the stage for an attack that would put the entire household in danger.
Family Home Set on Fire While Everyone Slept
Just after midnight on November 7, 2024, prosecutors said Alexander threw an incendiary device at the Portland-area home.
The device landed on the front porch and set the house on fire while the family was asleep inside. The father discovered the fire during the early morning hours and managed to get his family safely out of the home.
Despite the seriousness of the attack, no one was injured. The incident resulted in multiple attempted murder, arson and other charges against Alexander.
He ultimately pleaded guilty to five counts of attempted second-degree murder, four counts of arson, one count of criminal mischief, two counts of stalking, two counts of telephonic harassment, one count of menacing constituting domestic violence and four counts of recklessly endangering another person.
Judge Calls Case Unlike Any Other
During Alexander’s sentencing, Multnomah County Circuit Court Judge Eric Dahlin described the case as extraordinary.
“This case is unlike any other case encountered by this office,” Dahlin told the court, according to the district attorney’s office.
The judge said the sentence took into account both the months-long conduct and the severity of Alexander’s mental health condition.
“After significant briefing, testimony of experts, and impact statements, the Court imposed a just sentence in weighing the gravity of the months’ long conduct and the severity of Mr. Alexander’s mental health,” Dahlin said.
Alexander was eventually found at a local hospital, where prosecutors said he had voluntarily admitted himself for a mental health emergency.
He later confessed to setting the family home on fire while its occupants were inside.
Family Still Living With Trauma
Although the family escaped physically unharmed, the emotional impact has continued.
During Alexander’s sentencing hearing, the mother delivered a victim impact statement describing the lasting effects of the fire on herself and her children.
She said the trauma remains very present, including ongoing anxiety and an intense physical reaction to alarms.
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She also said her oldest child struggles with anxiety, while her youngest has difficulty trusting that adults will keep her safe and has become terrified of fire alarms at school.
Alexander’s 20-year, 10-month prison sentence now brings the criminal case to a significant turning point, but the family continues to deal with the consequences of the events that began with a breakup and escalated into stalking, threats and a potentially deadly fire.
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