Benjamin Obadiah Foster Perpetrator

Overview

Benjamin Obadiah Foster is the subject of the Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever, Season 1 Episode 1 ("Dating the Devil"). Foster had a multi-state record of domestic-violence convictions — including a 2019 Nevada conviction for holding a woman captive — before arriving in Oregon in 2022.

In late January 2023, Benjamin Foster held his partner Justine Siemens captive and tortured her at her Grants Pass, Oregon home. After she was rescued, Oregon State Police launched a statewide manhunt. During the nine-day search, investigators also discovered two additional homicide victims whose deaths were later linked to Benjamin Foster. The Grants Pass community was deeply shaken by the events.

The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever uses the Foster case to open its first season, establishing the show's focus on intimate-partner violence and the systemic failures that allow repeat offenders to find new victims across state lines.

Multi-State Criminal History

Benjamin Obadiah Foster accumulated a documented history of domestic violence across multiple states before arriving in Oregon. His criminal record included convictions in several jurisdictions, demonstrating a pattern of violence against intimate partners that spanned years. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines this history as evidence of systemic failures — specifically, the inability of state-level criminal justice systems to prevent known offenders from relocating and finding new victims.

Foster's most significant prior conviction came in Nevada in 2019, where he was convicted of holding a woman captive. Despite this serious felony conviction, Foster was able to relocate to Oregon and establish a new relationship with Justine Siemens in Grants Pass without her knowledge of his violent past. The Worst Ex Ever episode uses this fact to examine gaps in interstate information sharing and offender monitoring.

Nevada Conviction

In 2019, Benjamin Foster was convicted in Nevada for holding a woman captive — a crime that closely paralleled what he would later do to Justine Siemens in Grants Pass, Oregon. The Nevada conviction demonstrated that Foster's pattern of captivity and torture was established well before the January 2023 attack. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever presents the Nevada case as a critical missed opportunity — a conviction that should have prevented Foster from being in a position to victimize anyone else.

Arrival in Oregon

Benjamin Foster arrived in Oregon in 2022, settling in the Grants Pass area of Josephine County. According to reporting by NPR and the Washington Post, Foster established himself in the community and began a relationship with Justine Siemens. His arrival in Grants Pass, Oregon represented the continuation of a pattern — a violent offender relocating to a new state where his history was unknown to potential partners and the local community.

The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever examines Foster's arrival in Oregon as part of its broader examination of how repeat domestic violence offenders exploit the fragmented nature of state criminal justice systems. The true crime episode details how Foster was able to present himself as a normal partner in Grants Pass despite his extensive violent history.

The Attack

In late January 2023, Benjamin Foster held Justine Siemens captive and tortured her at her Grants Pass, Oregon home. The attack was prolonged and severe, lasting multiple days. Foster used physical violence, weapons, and psychological terror to maintain control over Siemens during the captivity. The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever presents the attack through Siemens's testimony, providing viewers with a harrowing account of the ordeal.

The severity of the attack on Justine Siemens in Grants Pass, Oregon reflected Foster's established pattern of captivity-based violence — the same pattern that had resulted in his 2019 Nevada conviction. The Worst Ex Ever episode draws explicit connections between Foster's prior offenses and the January 2023 attack.

The Manhunt

After Justine Siemens was rescued from Benjamin Foster's captivity, Oregon State Police launched a nine-day statewide manhunt. The search involved multiple law enforcement agencies and kept the Grants Pass community and surrounding areas on high alert. During the manhunt, investigators discovered two additional homicide victims whose deaths were linked to Foster — expanding the scope of the true crime case dramatically.

The Netflix docuseries Worst Ex Ever covers the manhunt as a central narrative element of the episode, using the nine-day search to build tension and illustrate the danger Foster posed to the broader Grants Pass, Oregon community. The true crime episode details the law enforcement coordination and the growing realization that Foster was responsible for more violence than initially known.

Death

On January 31, 2023, Benjamin Obadiah Foster was cornered in a crawlspace beneath a home in Grants Pass, Oregon during a police raid. He shot himself; he died of his injuries at a hospital later that evening. Because Foster died before being tried, none of the Oregon charges reached adjudication, and the per-charge status on this page accordingly reads "charged, not convicted." The true crime case remains one of the most discussed episodes of Worst Ex Ever among viewers and domestic-violence advocates.

The Worst Ex Ever Episode

The Netflix true crime docuseries Worst Ex Ever opens its first season with the Benjamin Foster case, using the Grants Pass, Oregon manhunt as a dramatic introduction to the series' themes. The episode examines intimate-partner violence, systemic failures in offender monitoring, and the devastating consequences when known violent offenders are allowed to relocate and find new victims. The true crime episode features testimony from Justine Siemens and analysis of the law enforcement response in Grants Pass, Oregon.

Charges & status

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