Father Of Wisconsin School Shooter Faces Felony Charges, Up To 18 Years In Prison

A Wisconsin begetter was arrested and charged pinch aggregate felony charges aft constabulary said his teen girl killed 2 group and injured six others during a shooting astatine a Christian schoolhouse successful Madison successful December 2024. The Madison Police Department announced that it arrested 42-year-old Jeffrey Rupnow successful nan early greeting hours connected Thursday, May 8.

Rupnow is charged pinch “contributing to nan delinquency of a child” and 2 counts of “providing a vulnerable limb to a personification nether 18 resulting successful death,” according to a connection from Madison Police Department spokesperson Stephanie Fryer. If convicted connected each charges, Rupnow faces up to 18 years successful prison. He is group for a tribunal quality connected Friday, May 9.

Investigators opportunity Rupnow bought nan weapon utilized successful nan shooting legally, and that his 15-year-old girl had entree to nan safe wherever nan firearm was stored, arsenic good arsenic different weapons successful nan home. Police opportunity Rupnow is cooperating pinch investigators.

What happened?

In December 2024, 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow killed 2 group and wounded six others astatine Abundant Life Christian School. Police opportunity a “combination of factors” played a domiciled successful nan shooting, but person yet to disclose Rupnow’s motive. Rupnow took her ain life pursuing nan shooting, arsenic constabulary discovered her pinch a self-inflicted gunshot wound. One of nan victims successful nan schoolhouse shooting reportedly remains hospitalized astir 5 months aft nan incident. Those killed successful nan shooting see a teacher, 42-year-old Erin West, and a student, 14-year-old Rubi Vergara.

Abundant Life Christian School has not commented connected nan father’s charges aliases arrest.

The investigation

Investigators recovered that nan teen shooter appeared to beryllium obsessed pinch acts of wide violence, including schoolhouse shootings, and had a fascination pinch weapons, but did not opportunity what led her to behaviour nan attack. Authorities besides opportunity that Rupnow’s online interactions showed she was looking into convulsive subjects, peculiarly shootings.

Following Rupnow’s attack, a judge issued a restraining bid against Alexander Paffendorf,  a California resident, successful relationship pinch nan shooting. Police opportunity Paffendorf and Rupnow were messaging astir a imaginable onslaught connected a authorities building, which progressive guns and explosives. Paffendorf has not yet been charged successful nan case.

Not nan first time

The latest apprehension isn’t nan first involving a genitor of a schoolhouse shooter. Last year, nan parents of a Michigan schoolhouse shooter, James and Jennifer Crumbley, were sentenced to 10 to 15 years down bars for negligence, including unsecured retention of a firearm utilized by their teenage boy to termination 4 classmates astatine a precocious schoolhouse successful a Detroit suburb. Prosecutors besides opportunity nan parents ignored informing signs earlier nan shooting. They became nan first parents successful U.S. history to beryllium charged and convicted for their child’s wide shooting astatine a school. Their son, Ethan Crumbley, is serving a life sentence.

Cases successful different countries

Also successful December 2024, parents of a schoolhouse shooter successful Serbia were sentenced to years successful prison aft constabulary opportunity their teenage boy utilized his father’s weapon successful a schoolhouse shooting that near 9 children and a information defender dormant while injuring six others successful nan country’s first schoolhouse wide shooting. Under Serbian law, their boy was reportedly excessively young to beryllium charged pinch nan crime arsenic he was 13 astatine nan clip of nan incident.