Key Points
- In a statement to the press, the Federal Bureau of Investigation has said that the ongoing investigation regarding the murder of federal prosecutor Tom Wales is still underway even after 25 years since Wales was shot dead in front of his house in Seattle on 11 October 2001.
- For the first time ever, authorities have revealed to the media the spot where they believe the killer took position in order to shoot Wales: 5-8 feet away from him near the basement office windows of Upper Queen Anne.
- Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd, FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Woods paid a visit to the home of Wales on Friday.
- The FBI reports that the killer remained hidden in the dark back yard of Wales while he was working at his computer and the office lights were turned on.
- Although officials feel that the death of Wales had something to do with his prosecution cases, no specific case has been reported officially.
- Authorities say that they have some suspects but more evidence is required before they can file a case against them.
Wales (Wales Times) October 10, 2026 — Federal investigators have disclosed new detail about the position of the gunman who killed Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Wales inside his Seattle home 25 years ago, saying the shooter stood only about 5 to 8 feet from the prosecutor as he worked at his desk.
As reported by KING 5, investigators believe the gunman hid in the dark backyard of Wales’s former Upper Queen Anne home on the evening of 11 October 2001, waited for him to sit at his computer, and fired through a basement-office window. Wales, who was 49, died the following day.
The detail was revealed on Friday when Acting U.S. Attorney Neil Floyd, FBI Seattle Special Agent in Charge W. Mike Herrington and Assistant U.S. Attorney Tom Woods walked through the backyard of the property. KING 5 reported that investigators showed the outlet where they believe the shooter stood, close to the window through which Wales was shot.
Floyd described the confined space as chilling and said visiting the scene gave him a different perspective from reviewing photographs and maps of the crime scene. “This was an intentional, very close up and personal murder,” Floyd said, as quoted by KING 5.
KOMO News also reported Floyd’s account of the shooting.
“There’s no way you can stand within five feet from the person you are shooting, see their face lit up by the light they were using to work that evening and not know what you are doing,”
Floyd said, according to KOMO News.
Herrington, speaking at the scene, said:
“This is a person who looked at Tom’s face within just a few feet and then pulled the trigger to kill him,”
KOMO News reported.
Why Is the FBI Renewing Its Appeal After 25 Years?
The FBI and the U.S. Attorney’s Office marked the approaching 25th anniversary of Wales’s killing by saying the case is not closed and that investigators continue to receive information.
At a news conference at the U.S. Courthouse in downtown Seattle, Floyd and Herrington said solving the murder remains a priority for the Department of Justice, according to FOX 13 Seattle. The outlet reported that federal investigators are also using advances in investigative technology, including artificial intelligence, to re-examine evidence gathered over the past 25 years.
Herrington said people may wrongly assume that the passage of time means the case has gone cold. “After 25 years, people may incorrectly believe that this case is cold,” he said, as reported by The Spokesman-Review.
KING 5 reported that Herrington said the FBI continues to receive new information and is using technological advances to revisit evidence collected since 2001. He also said changing relationships and allegiances could encourage people with knowledge of the killing to come forward.
Floyd said investigators are not merely waiting for public tips. “We’re not just sitting by waiting for the phone to ring,” he told KING 5. He said agents are actively pursuing leads but require additional evidence or witnesses to build a case that can be presented to a jury.
What Do Investigators Believe About the Motive?
Investigators believe Wales’s murder was connected to his work as a federal prosecutor. However, officials have not publicly identified the specific case they think may have prompted the attack, and they have not ruled out other possibilities.
KOMO News reported that the FBI believes several people were involved in a plot to murder Wales, although nobody has been charged in direct connection with the killing.
Floyd confirmed to KING 5 that investigators have people of interest, but said more evidence is needed before charges can be brought. “There’s a difference between what we suspect, what we know, and what we can prove,” Floyd said.
KOMO News further reported Herrington as saying that anyone involved 25 years ago is now in a different place in their life. “You need to come to us before we come to you,” Herrington said, according to the outlet.
Investigators also believe that someone involved in the killing may have shared information with another person during the past 25 years. “You don’t carry that for 25 years without unburdening yourself to somebody,” Herrington told KING 5.
What Did Tom Wales’s Family Say?
Wales was a father of two and had served as a federal prosecutor for 18 years. The FBI described him on Friday as a community leader with a deep commitment to public service.
His daughter, Amy Wales, did not attend Friday’s news conference. In a written statement, she said she wanted to prioritise the privacy and well-being of her young children.
“Justice for my father is overdue, but the commitment of the people gathered at today’s press conference strengthens my resolve and keeps me hopeful,”
Amy Wales wrote, according to KING 5.
The Spokesman-Review also quoted her statement: “Although I have now lived more years without him than with him, I remain profoundly grateful for the time we had together.”
What Reward Is Available for Information?
The Department of Justice is offering a reward of up to $2.5 million for information leading to the arrest and conviction of the person or people responsible for Wales’s murder. FOX 13 Seattle reported that the reward has been increased to that amount.
KING 5 reported that the $2.5 million reward remains available for information leading to an arrest and conviction.
Anyone with information can contact the FBI’s Seattle field office or email WalesTips@fbi.gov. FOX 13 Seattle also listed the FBI’s online tip portal, tips.fbi.gov, and its Seattle field office telephone number, (206) 622-0460.
KOMO News reported that the investigation is being handled by a joint task force comprising the FBI, Seattle Police Department, Department of Justice, U.S. Attorney’s Office and King County Prosecuting Attorney’s Office.
Background of the Development
Tom Wales was an assistant U.S. attorney in the Western District of Washington, where he worked for 18 years before he was shot and killed at his home on the evening of 11 October 2001. The U.S. Department of Justice has previously described him as having been shot in his Seattle home that evening.
The killing occurred while Wales was working at a computer in the basement office of his Queen Anne home. A gunman fired through a window from the backyard, and Wales died the next day.
The case has remained unsolved for a quarter of a century. The FBI’s public page on the investigation previously listed a reward of up to $2 million, while the current appeal offers up to $2.5 million.
In 2018, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein joined then-U.S. Attorney Annette L. Hayes, Seattle Mayor Jenny A. Durkan, the Wales family and other law-enforcement partners in Seattle to highlight the continuing Department of Justice investigation.
Prediction: How This Development May Affect the Seattle Community
The renewed appeal may increase public attention on a long-unsolved killing that remains significant for Seattle’s legal and law-enforcement communities. For current and former federal prosecutors, the case is likely to reinforce concerns about the risks associated with public-service work, particularly where an official’s professional role may be linked to a violent crime.
For residents of Queen Anne and the wider Seattle area, the FBI’s decision to revisit the scene and publicise the shooter’s likely position may encourage people who lived nearby in 2001, or who have since learned information, to reconsider what they know. The $2.5 million reward and multiple reporting channels could also increase the volume of tips received by investigators.
For anyone with direct or indirect knowledge of the case, the officials’ message suggests that investigators are seeking not only the person who fired the shots, but also anyone who may have been involved in, or aware of, an alleged plot. The emphasis on changing personal circumstances over 25 years indicates that authorities believe time may have altered loyalties, relationships or willingness to speak.
