Honolulu Man Charged With Threatening To Kill Whitmer
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(Source: MIRS.news, Published 06/05/2026) A Honolulu man indicted for threatening to kill Democratic Gov. Gretchen Whitmer has a history of making threats against political leaders, including threats to kill a former Republican president and vice president.
Ronald Saville, 48, faces two counts of transmitting a threat in interstate commerce for allegedly emailing Whitmer that he was “going to walk into the state capital shoot it up and kill as many people as possible than that I’m coming for you and I promise I’ll miss my. [sic] I will not miss you at all.”
Stacey LaRouche, press secretary for Whitmer, said the Governor has “repeatedly denounced political violence as unacceptable, and she calls on all Americans to stand up against any and all forms of it.
“For too long, we’ve seen divisive rhetoric fuel political violence from threats here in Michigan to tragedies across the country,” LaRouche said. “We thank law enforcement for their work to keep the public safe and prevent an act of political violence. We must never lose sight of the fact that we are neighbors, family, and friends first, and together we can move Michigan forward."
On May 12, Saville is alleged to have called the FBI Honolulu Field Office to let them know that he sent two emails outlining his threats and that he wanted to kill Whitmer “because she was a Democrat, and he had been conducting online research” to plan his trip and carry out his threat, according to an affidavit from FBI Special Agent Kyler Mulvaney filed in the U.S. District Court of Hawaii.
Whether Whitmer’s political party was important, however, is arguable as Saville was charged in 2008 with making similar threats against former President George W. Bush and former Vice President Richard Cheney as well as a federal judge, according to court records.
The charge involving Bush was dismissed in a plea deal that sent Saville to prison in September 2008 for 37 months for the threat against Cheney, and in February 2013 he was sentenced to 77 months in prison for threatening a federal judge.
An excerpt from an FBI affidavit related to criminal charges against former Michigan resident Ronald Saville, now of Hawaii.
In the most recent case, Saville identified himself by name, spelling it as Seville, in a May 9 email, writing that he was “originally from Michigan,” but was living in Hawaii and that he would walk into the Michigan Capital “with a gun at [sic] A.R. 15 and open fire.” He noted: “I mean what I say I’m not a joke,”
A second email sent about 15 minutes later, was addressed to Whitmer and noted that he would shoot up the Capital, the affidavit noted.
Saville then wrote: “I’m coming for you and I promise I’ll miss my. [sic] I will not miss you at all.”
Saville, who told police he was at a voluntary mental health program in Kaneohe, also said he sent a message to MSP about his plans.
In a May 26 interview with FBI, Saville, who was found at the Adventist Health Castle Behavioral Health Unit in Kailua, told FBI agents that there was a 75% chance he would go through with his plan, Mulvaney noted.
Saville’s arraignment is set for 10:30 a.m. July 21 before Magistrate Judge Barry M. Kurren. He faces up to five years in prison if he is convicted as charged.
Whitmer was the target of a 2020 kidnap plot, which led to charges against 14 men in state and federal courts. The prosecutions ended with four plea deals, five convictions and five acquittals.