Man charged with threatening to kill WA governor after laying out detailed plan

A 34-year-old man with a history of violent offenses has been charged in King County with threatening to kill Washington Governor Bob Ferguson after allegedly detailing a step‑by‑step plan to reach the governor’s mansion in Olympia and carry out the attack.

Charges filed

The King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office has charged Nathaniel David Foster with threats against Ferguson.

Prosecutors said Foster “knowingly and willfully” made threats to take the life of, and inflict bodily harm upon, the governor on or about July 19.

How the threat emerged

According to court documents and a certification for determination of probable cause, on the night of July 18, 2026, Foster checked himself into Swedish Hospital First Hill in Seattle, reporting suicidal and homicidal ideation.

He then allegedly told a hospital caseworker that he planned to harm Ferguson, prompting the worker to notify authorities under a “duty to warn.”

Foster was ultimately placed on a waiting list for the Crisis Solutions Center and was not free to leave the hospital at that time. Staff later informed law enforcement that he was being evaluated for possible involuntary detention.

Seattle police officers interviewed Foster in the early morning hours of July 19. During that interview, according to the probable cause statement, Foster allegedly said he had a plan to take public transit to Olympia and described how he would “lurk” around the governor’s mansion, watching where guards were stationed, when they went on shift, and when they took breaks.

Foster also stated he would look for weaknesses in security, exploit them to force his way into the mansion, and that he would assault or kill security and staff if necessary to reach Ferguson and murder him.

When later interviewed by Washington State Patrol detectives, Foster again discussed traveling by bus to Olympia and said that if he could not reach the governor directly, he would attack Ferguson’s staff instead.

Investigators said Foster made substantially the same threats on at least three separate occasions to his hospital caseworker, the Seattle Police Department, and Washington State Patrol with only minor variations.

Motive and past conduct

According to the case summary, Foster’s threats appear to be driven by a grievance over his treatment in Spokane correctional institutions, where he alleged he was sexually abused. Prosecutors said Foster believed that killing the governor would bring attention to his complaints.

When given the opportunity in interviews to state that he no longer intended to act on his threats, Foster allegedly responded that he was “not sure” and that he would “do what he has to do to get the result he wants.”

Court records and investigative documents outline an extensive criminal and behavioral history in which Foster previously entered Ralph’s Thriftway in Thurston County and stabbed an employee in the face after being greeted.

In that case, he reportedly told officers he “wants to kill cops and politicians” and “track down politicians,” and said he stabbed the employee because voices in his head told him to do it. Court documents from that incident indicate he was later found not competent to stand trial.

The current case summary notes that Foster has prior convictions including second-degree robbery in 2008, third-degree assault in 2009, and third-degree malicious mischief in 2023.

Several other assault and harassment cases in recent years were dismissed due to competency issues, including custodial assault, first-, second-, and third-degree assault, second-degree malicious mischief, and harassment between 2017 and 2025.

Bail request and conditions

Prosecutors are asking a judge to set bail at $50,000, citing the likelihood that Foster will not respond to a summons if released, and the risk that he will commit a violent offense.

They argued that Foster is a “highly dangerous individual” who articulated a detailed, thought‑out plan to kill the Governor, down to which buses he intended to take, and the security measures he expected to encounter at the Governor’s mansion.

The state is also requesting that Foster have no contact with Ferguson as a condition of release.

Next steps

Foster is currently in involuntary psychiatric detention. His case will proceed in King County Superior Court, where a judge will consider the state’s bail request and proposed conditions of release as the charge moves forward.

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