Wisconsin school shooting suspect Natalie Rupnow had a tumultuous family life, court documents say – NBC New York

A 15-year-old girl who police say killed two people and injured several others at a private Christian school in Wisconsin endured what appeared to be a tumultuous home life marked by divorces, custody battles and a series of court-mandated mediation sessions to resolve the issue. disputes over his care, according to court documents obtained by NBC News.

Jeff and Mellissa Rupnow married and divorced twice, during which their daughter Natalie Rupnow sometimes traveled between her parents’ homes every few days and attended therapy.

They married in 2011 and divorced for the first time in 2014, according to court documents.

The two agreed to joint custody of Natalie, but she would live primarily with her mother, according to the documents.

They remarried in 2017, according to their marriage certificate obtained by NBC, but filed for divorce a second time in 2020. Mellissa and Jeff Rupnow again agreed to share custody of Natalie, but this time she would spend “the same time with both parents. as court documents show. A divorce certificate obtained by NBC News shows their divorce was finalized in 2021.

Natalie Rupnow, who also went by the name Samantha, shot and killed a teacher and student and injured six others Monday during study hall at Abundant Life Christian School in Madison, Wis., before dying in An apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound, police said. The victims were identified as Erin M. West, 42, and Rubi P. Vergara, 14.

Two students whose lives were injured in the shooting remained in hospital and the other four injured were released, police said.

The FBI arrested Alexander Paffendorf, 20, in California earlier this week and ordered him to temporarily surrender his firearms after he allegedly communicated with Natalie Rupnow. Authorities say Paffendorf admitted to discussing with Rupnow his plans to arm himself with explosives and target a government building. The FBI discovered messages between the two but did not disclose their alleged plans.

Paffendorf and his family could not immediately be reached for comment.

The apparent turmoil in Natalie Rupnow’s family life, as documented by court records, offers a glimpse into the events that may have shaped her journey before Monday’s tragedy.

In 2022, Mellissa and Jeff Rupnow requested custody mediation for Natalie. In May, Dane County Family Court Services notified parents of the requirement to complete a “mandatory parent education program via Zoom” due to a “disagreement regarding child custody and/or or physical placement.” A month later, according to court documents, Mellissa Rupnow “was scheduled to appear on June 2 and 16, 2022, but failed to appear” at the parent education program. Shortly after, the couple was invited to attend a “mandatory mediation session, by appointment in person.”

In July 2022, an agreement was reached giving them joint legal custody of Natalie, who would live primarily with her father, according to court documents. The documents also state that the parents agreed to “consider the recommendations of Natalie’s therapist regarding placement” of Natalie during the weekends.

Natalie’s mother agreed to communicate with her therapist and “participate in therapy to the extent recommended by the therapist,” according to court documents. Natalie’s father would go “out of his way to schedule therapy appointments” to accommodate the mother’s schedule.

Court documents note that “the parents report a generally positive co-parenting relationship and will continue to communicate with each other via text messages and phone conversations.”

Jeff and Mellissa Rupnow did not respond to multiple requests for comment. Madison Police Chief Shon Barnes said the two men were “fully cooperating” with investigators, who are still trying to identify a motive and have not released many details about the teen.

“Identifying a pattern is our top priority. But right now it appears the motive is a combination of factors,” Barnes said at a news conference.

Trish Kilpin, director of the Wisconsin Office of School Safety, said Monday that “targeted violence is preventable.”

“When someone decides to use violence, it’s often to redress an upset or a grievance, and they’re progressing down the path of that violence,” Kilpin said. “And when they do that, they often look at past school shooting incidents. »

A neighbor of Jeff Rupnow who spoke to NBC News expressed shock when he learned of the shooting and described Jeff as a “nice person.”

“He really helped us,” said the neighbor, who did not want his name used for fear of publicity from the case. “I know we’re still trying to piece it all together.”

The neighbor indicated that he did not know Natalie, saying that “the very limited things that we knew were horrible for everyone, obviously, and just horrible for the families at the school and these kids.”

Selina Guevara reported from Madison, and Chloe Atkins and Daniella Silva reported from New York.

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