MADISON, WI (WTAQ-WLUK) — The father of the teenage girl who opened fire inside her Madison school last year has been bound over for trial on charges related to the shooting.
Jeffrey Rupnow, 43, appeared in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing, 11 weeks after his arrest on May 8. He posted a $20,000 bond the following day.
Rupnow is facing two counts of providing a dangerous weapon to a person under 18 (resulting in death) and one count of contributing to the delinquency of a child. He would face up to 18 years in prison if convicted on all counts.
During Thursday’s hearing, a court commissioner rejected the defense’s arguments that Rupnow didn’t know his daughter was considering violence and didn’t physically hand her the weapons she used in the deadly attack.
It was Dec. 16, 2024, when Rupnow’s 15-year-old daughter, Natalie, opened fire in a study hall at Abundant Life Christian Christian School. She killed teacher Erin Michelle West and 14-year-old student Rubi Vergara and injured six others before she shot herself in the head.
According to a criminal complaint, Rupnow said Natalie was struggling to cope with her parents’ divorce. As a way to bond with his daughter, Rupnow purchased two handguns for Natalie — both of which she brought into the school the day of the shooting.
Investigators recovered a 9 mm Glock handgun at the crime scene, as well as a bag containing a .22-caliber Sig Sauer pistol, three magazines loaded with .22 ammunition and a 50-round box of 9 mm ammunition.
Rupnow said he told Natalie the access code to the safe where he stored her guns in case she ever needed them. Rupnow also told investigators he wasn’t sure whether he put one of the guns back in the safe after his daughter cleaned it the day before the school attack.
Rupnow’s attorney argued her client took reasonable prevention measures, including keeping all their guns in a safe — which isn’t required under Wisconsin law. His attorney said many Wisconsin parents teach their children how to shoot guns and Natalie passed a gun safety course.
The attorney also argued that the school attack took place outside of Rupnow’s parental supervision, as he was at work when Natalie opened fire, and he would have had to hand Natalie the guns at Abundant Life to be criminally liable. The judge did not agree.
