Suspect in TD death now facing attempted murder charge in Bend

Samantha “Sammie” Bergren, 33, above, was found deceased at the Super 8 Motel in The Dalles under suspicious circumstances on Sept. 3. Zachary Jean Krohnke, 32 of La Pine was later arrested that same day in Bend after a crisis negotiation and apparent admissions of murder.

By Tom Peterson

The Dalles, Ore., Sept. 29, 2023 - Zachary Jean Krohnke, 32, of La Pine, who is a suspect in the death of a woman in The Dalles,  is being held in Deschutes County Jail on no bail in relation to another case where he allegedly attempted to murder an escort in Bend on Aug. 28th.

Deschutes County Deputy District Attorney Brittany Haver amended the indictment against Krohnke to include charges of attempted murder, attempted kidnapping and attempted rape in relation to the “escort” he met on Aug. 28th in Bend.

Krohnke is also a suspect in the recent death of Samantha “Sammie”  Bergren, who was found deceased at the Super 8 Motel in The Dalles on Sept. 3rd.

Wasco County District Attorney Matthew Ellis said the local case is still under investigation, noting an autopsy has been completed and he is awaiting a toxicology report. 

“I will make a statement in regard to Mr. Krohnke on whether he is charged or not charged in Wasco County,” Ellis said. “The cause of death is still under investigation.” 

Krohnke had bailed out of Deschutes County Jail with a $2,000 security deposit when he met up with Bergren in The Dalles on Sept. 3. His original indictment in Deschutes County contained charges of coercion, unlawful use of a weapon, menacing, and fourth-degree assault.

However, there were no charges of attempted rape, attempted strangulation or attempted murder in the original indictment.

It was not until after Bergren’s death in The Dalles that those charges were added to Krohnke’s original indictment. CCCNews has left messages with Haver for comment.     

Just hours after Bergren’s death on Sept. 3, Krohnke drove to Bend Oregon, and told deputies in Deschutes County that he killed “Sam” when he attempted “suicide by cop” and stabbed himself in the neck with a knife outside of the Deschutes County Stabilization Center.

The Center offers medication support, peer counseling, and an observation room for those unable.

Deputies negotiated with Krohnke for two hours before he traded his knife for a cigarette, and he was taken into custody. 

On Sept. 21, Deputy DA Haver in Deschutes County filed a motion to hold Krohnke without bail. No date for the hearing has been set, according to the Oregon Judicial Information Network. 
In the motion, Haver states that Krohnke met the escort in Bend in a hotel room. Krohnke allegedly “grabbed the woman while naked and forcefully tried to pull her to him.”

“She realized she was in danger and tried to run toward the door, but he pulled out a knife and grabbed her, pulling on her to keep her inside,” Haver wrote. “He slammed the door on her leg, causing injury. She was screaming for help as loud as she could, managed to break free, and bolted from the room completely naked and ran across the street to another motel for help… Defendant (Krohnke) was located down the road a few blocks, having walked off wearing only shorts and one sock. He had the knife on him and admitted to law enforcement that he was having “homicidal thoughts.”

“Subsequently, she (the escort) found a roll of duct tape in the bathroom concealed under a wet hand towel,” Haver wrote. 

Krohnke, the day after his release on Sept. 1, “made arrangements to meet an escort in The Dalles and rented a room at the Super 8, where the escort, Ms. Bergren, met him,” Haver wrote. “They were together for several hours, but ultimately he left that motel room alone at 4:32 a.m. on Sept. 3.”

“He (Krohnke) arrived at the Deschutes County Stabilization Center around 4 p.m. and advised staff that he murdered an escort named “Sam” in a motel room under his name in The Dalles before 4 a.m. this morning,” Haver wrote in the motion. “He had a knife with him and made comments about desiring cop by suicide.” 

“Meanwhile, law enforcement was able to confirm that there was in fact an escort named “Samantha” who was found deceased under suspicious circumstances in (Krohnke’s) rented motel room at the Super 8 in The Dalles,” Haver wrote. “The Wasco County case is under investigation.”