In Madison, Wisconsin, prosecutors have charged Jeffrey Rupnow, the father of a teenage girl responsible for a school shooting that resulted in the death of a teacher and a fellow student, with providing her access to the semiautomatic pistols used in the attack. The criminal complaint against 42-year-old Rupnow outlines how his daughter, 15-year-old Natalie Rupnow, struggled with her parents’ divorce, expressing her anger through a written piece titled “War Against Humanity.” Despite her meticulous planning of the attack, including creating a cardboard model of the school and scheduling the shooting to end with her suicide, her father attempted to bond with her through guns.
Jeffrey Rupnow was taken into custody and brought to the Dane County Jail, with an initial court appearance scheduled for the following day. There was no listed attorney for him in online court records. Acting Madison Police Chief John Patterson mentioned that Rupnow cooperated with the investigation. Attempts to reach him and his ex-wife, Melissa Rupnow, were unsuccessful.
The tragic incident at Abundant Life Christian School on December 16 resulted in the deaths of teacher Erin Michelle West and student Rubi Bergara, with six others injured before Natalie Rupnow took her own life. Investigators found 20 shell casings in the study hall where the shooting occurred, along with a 9 mm Glock handgun purchased by Jeffrey Rupnow and a .22-caliber Sig Sauer pistol given to Natalie as a Christmas present in 2023.
Natalie had been struggling with her parents’ divorce, with Jeffrey Rupnow mentioning that she had expressed suicidal thoughts and engaged in self-harm. He also revealed that she had been in therapy to improve her social skills. Concerns were raised about Rupnow’s behavior towards Natalie, with claims of verbal aggression and reports of his alcohol consumption.
Jeffrey Rupnow admitted to taking Natalie shooting on a friend’s property, seeing it as a way to connect with her. He stored her pistols in a gun safe, providing her with the access code as his Social Security number entered backward. Just before the school attack, he expressed concerns about her accessing the firearms. The day before the incident, he removed the Sig Sauer pistol from the safe for Natalie to clean.
According to the complaint, he became distracted and was uncertain whether he had returned the weapon to the safe or secured it. The “War Against Humanity” document discovered in Natalie’s room consisted of six pages, where she expressed disdain for humanity, specifically individuals who neglect their health by smoking marijuana or excessive drinking. She also expressed admiration for school shooters, detailed her strained relationship with her absent mother, and revealed how she acquired weapons through deceit and manipulation.
Further investigation revealed maps of the school, a cardboard model of the building, and a handwritten schedule outlining her planned attack timeline. She intended to commence the assault at 11:30 a.m., targeting the first and second floors by 11:55 a.m., with a planned conclusion at 12:10 p.m., marked with the phrase “ready 4 Death.” Natalie had been engaging online with individuals worldwide regarding her fascination with school shootings and firearms, as mentioned by Acting Madison Police Chief John Patterson.
Jeffery Rupnow, Natalie’s father, acknowledged teaching her gun safety as a grave error in a message to authorities after the incident. He urged law enforcement to advise individuals to change their gun safe combinations regularly to prevent unauthorized access. Jeffery emphasized the need to safeguard other families from experiencing similar tragedies, comparing children’s resourcefulness to potential hackers breaching sensitive accounts.
Melissa Rupnow, upon being informed that Natalie was the perpetrator, reacted emotionally, expressing a desire to harm someone—likely referencing her ex-husband. This incident adds to a series of cases involving parents linked to school shootings. Jeffrey Rupnow is among the latest parents facing legal repercussions following an attack. Previous instances involved parents being convicted for involuntary manslaughter in connection to school shootings.
