Justine Siemens’ terrifying experience with Benjamin Foster is the central storyline in Episode 1 of Netflix’s Worst Ex Ever, titled ‘Dating the Devil’.
The new documentary series, a spinoff of the popular true crime hit Worst Roommate Ever, delves into the sinister aspects of love and poses the thought-provoking inquiry: how truly familiar are you with your significant other?
Similarly to the main series, the first season of Worst Ex Ever explores four instances of betrayal, dishonesty, and aggression, beginning with the heinous offenses committed by Ben Foster.
Now available for streaming, continue reading to discover the fate of Justine Siemens during the traumatic experience that led to a deadly manhunt. Caution: some individuals may find this material disturbing.
Justine Siemens’ traumatic ordeal
In January 2023, Foster held Siemens captive at her home for three days, during which he subjected her to torture and physical abuse. In her memoir Worst Ex Ever, she reflects on the traumatic experience, stating that the word “torture”does not fully capture the severity of what she endured.
Eventually, Siemens managed to reach her closest friend, Angie Milner, who dialed 911 and immediately rushed to the house.
Upon Milner’s entrance into the home, Foster immediately ran away, leaving Siemens with a noose around her neck, bruises covering her body, and her teeth missing.
After being brutally beaten, she was immediately taken to the hospital where she slipped into a coma and remained in critical condition. Milner recalls feeling fearful for her friend’s life or the possibility of her being left in a vegetative state.
Siemens and Foster first crossed paths in late 2022 while both working at a bar in Oregon. For approximately two months, they engaged in what she refers to as a casual relationship.
Although he appeared to be an ordinary man, her doubts were heightened when he requested a pure urine sample one day.
Justine recounts her story in Worst Ex Ever
After conducting an online search, she discovered his past in Las Vegas, where he had a record of mistreating women and had been taken into custody for battery.
After being shocked, Siemens felt it was necessary to inform their boss. She believed that it was not acceptable for someone with a history of abusing women to be employed in the bar industry, where they serve alcohol to people. As a result, the individual was ultimately fired.
After breaking off communication with Foster, she came home from work a month later to discover that he had been secretly staying in her garage all day.
Despite Foster’s ruthless attack, Siemens miraculously survived and woke up. However, her journey to recovery was far from easy. Not only did she suffer from traumatic brain damage, but she also had to go through the process of learning how to walk once again.
She says, “Dealing with it all was quite overwhelming, but I consider myself very fortunate to still be here.”
A Manhunt That Resulted in Three Fatalities
Upon escaping the scene, a manhunt ensued as Grants Pass police attempted to locate Foster. While evading capture, he committed the murder of an elderly man and his caregiver before taking his own life with a gun.
On January 24, 2023, detectives issued a bulletin requesting information and advising the public not to approach Foster if he was seen.
A manhunt was launched to capture Ben
Two days after, a tip was received that he was located in the nearby Sunny Valley, which Lt. Jeff Hattersley characterized as a “rural area with numerous farms and ranches.”
After setting up surveillance, detectives found out that Foster was residing at the residence of a woman named Tina Jones. It was later revealed that Foster had taken precautions against surveillance and upon noticing the officers, he attempted to flee.
Upon arresting Jones under suspicion of aiding in evidence tampering, authorities conducted a search of her residence. During the search, they discovered various items belonging to Ben, such as a “getaway kit”containing cash, his identification, and several devices, all of which were wrapped in tin foil.
They discovered that Foster had been using dating apps on his phone, which Hattersley believes he may have utilized in his attempt to flee the state or potentially to find his next victim.
The news was broadcasted to the national media, and on January 31, the detectives finally received a lead from a taxi driver in the vicinity. He stated that he had received a call requesting a ride.
The person who called claimed to be Richard Baron, Jones’ neighbor. However, the driver was aware that Baron was an elderly man, while the caller sounded much younger. As a result, the driver decided to refuse the job and contacted the police.
Police set up a surveillance in Sunny Valley
Upon arriving at the property, officers discovered the bodies of Baron and his caretaker, Ronald Griffith. According to Hattersley, it is believed that Ben had broken into the property and held them captive while he was in hiding.
Detective Robert Shaw, who was also involved in the investigation, elaborates that the strong scent of gasoline inside the house led them to suspect that Foster had intended to set fire to both the remains and the residence.
Following another tip from a cab driver, it was revealed that Foster had been dropped off at Grants Pass, which was in close proximity to the location of the attack on Siemens.
After an extensive search, Foster was discovered hiding under Siemens’ residence. Despite the house being surrounded, he refused to surrender, prompting authorities to use chemical agents and a police robot.
Faced with no escape, Foster took his own life with a fatal gunshot wound.
Ben Foster’s History of Abuse Towards Women
As mentioned, this was not the first instance in which he had shown his true character. In Worst Ex Ever, two of his former partners, Amber and Jaimee, make an appearance to discuss their personal experiences with Foster.
Despite initially believing Foster could have been “the one,”Amber’s perspective changed after they started dating in June 2012. Once they moved in together, his behavior began to change.
Despite showing signs of jealousy and control, things took a turn for the worse when he hit her during an argument. Amber ended the relationship and contacted the authorities, resulting in a court order for him to attend domestic violence counseling.
Amber was unaware that he continued to stalk her. Eventually, he broke into her home and attacked her with a knife, nearly severing one of her fingers.
Amber was attacked by Ben numerous times
Despite managing to break free and report the incident to the authorities, Amber was shocked to learn that Foster had spun the story and falsely accused her of being the perpetrator.
According to her, the officers neglected to check Ben’s record and instead, mistakenly placed her in a cell for 18 hours. Upon her release, she returned home only to discover that Foster had plundered all of her possessions.
In December 2017, there was another incident in which Foster assaulted Amber and choked her until she lost consciousness. She managed to regain consciousness and immediately sought assistance from a passing driver.
Despite being arrested again, Foster’s trial took a significant amount of time, causing Amber to live in fear for months with the possibility of him returning to harm her. She was constantly worried that he would come back to “finish whatever he was trying to do.”
Within a year, Foster began living with his girlfriend Jaimee, who clarifies that their relationship was not serious but he required a place to reside.
Despite his refusal to improve his life, Jaimee made efforts to help him get back on track. One day, she attempted to reason with him, but he ended up pushing her to the ground.
Jaimee’s fear only grew as his paranoia intensified. As September 2019 approached, he had already assaulted her multiple times, and she was at a loss for how to remove him from her home.
Jaimee held a meeting with the Las Vegas police department where she successfully obtained a restraining order. However, they declined to remove Foster from her home or provide an escort for her to retrieve her belongings.
After some time, she came to the realization that she was extremely fatigued and therefore retreated into her house to rest. Upon waking up, she discovered that Foster had restrained her.
He proceeded to forcibly shave Jaimee’s head, strip her naked, and hold her captive in her own home for several weeks. During this time, he continuously subjected her to physical abuse and made repeated threats to end her life.
Finally, she was able to escape and a nearby individual brought her to the hospital. There, it was discovered that she had suffered seven fractured ribs, two black eyes, bruises and cuts covering her body, and her ears were swollen and disfigured like cauliflower.
At the same time, Foster was arrested by the police and the news spread to the media. It was then that Amber found out about the incident.
“She says that it was mind-boggling that he was capable of doing this to another person, but she also felt a sense of relief knowing that it might finally result in his imprisonment.”
During this period, Foster was confronted with a series of grave accusations, including utilizing a lethal weapon to commit assault and engaging in first-degree kidnapping that resulted in significant physical harm.
Although Jaimee was aware that she would have to relive the trauma and be in the presence of Foster, she couldn’t bring herself to go through the court process.
Despite the overwhelming evidence, Foster was able to secure a plea deal as Jaimee refused to testify in court. As a result, he admitted to charges of both felony and misdemeanor battery.
Despite being sentenced to a maximum of 30 months, he was released from prison in October 2021 due to time already served.
Amber believes that Justine was not treated fairly by the justice system, especially after what happened to Siemens. In her opinion, the system failed to protect Justine from Ben’s escalating abuse and danger.
“Had my story and Jaimee’s story been taken more seriously, this tragedy could have been prevented and two lives could have been saved.”
She has now moved on and is content with her life. “I am even more delighted that I no longer need to constantly watch my back.”
The film Worst Ex Ever is currently available for streaming on Netflix.
Leave a Reply