A Missouri woman was sentenced to prison for fatally shooting her boyfriend after finding messages from other women on his phone.
Madison Rueckert, 23, was sentenced to 35 years in state prison on Friday, April 25, for the shooting death of Jonathan Miller, 24, in Marshfield, according to online court records.
Rueckert was initially charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, but in 2024, he reached an agreement with prosecutors to plead guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in exchange for a reduced sentence, according to online records.
According to online records, Rueckert was sentenced to 25 years for murder and 10 years for armed criminal action, which he will serve consecutively.
The crime occurred on December 31, 2022, when Rueckert, who was 21 at the time, became upset after discovering text messages to other women on Miller’s phone, according to Ozarks First.
The Marshfield Mail obtained a probable cause statement, which states that she waited for Miller to fall asleep that night before shooting him in the head.
Following that, she drove to Dallas County and spent the night in the woods, according to the statement.
She went to a stranger’s house and asked to speak with the police before turning herself in, according to court records obtained by KY3.
When Miller’s mother, Amy Kopp, found out what had happened, she “could not believe it” because she had discovered messages for other women, she told KY3. “He had not even cheated on her.”
She told Ozarks First at the time, “We have no idea what is in those texts. So, I seriously doubt he would have texted anyone sexual content and saved it on his phone. So, I do not believe it was sexual. I believe he was just talking to other females.”
She said she was shocked when police told her Rueckert had shot and killed her son.
“She was a great kid,” Kopp said. “We like her. I mean, our son was very pleased with her.”
“Even though he and Madison had only been together since May, (Madison’s) baby was his number one priority, and spending time with that child.”