In October 2001, federal prosecutor Thomas Crane Wales was working late in the basement office of his Seattle home when a gunman crept into his backyard, raised a pistol to the window, and opened fire. The shooter vanished into the night — leaving behind the only unsolved assassination of a sitting federal prosecutor in U.S. history.

Wales wasn’t just a respected Assistant U.S. Attorney. He was also a passionate gun control advocate and a man unafraid to take on powerful enemies. Over the years, investigators have chased leads from a disgruntled pilot to a bizarre handwritten confession from someone calling themselves “Gidget,” and even a tip from a future serial killer working as an FBI informant.

In 2018, the FBI made a bold announcement: they believe Thomas Wales was the victim of a professional hit. But who ordered it? And why has this high-profile murder — with all the resources of federal law enforcement — never been solved?

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