She Found Texts from Another Woman on His Phone, So She Shot Him Dead in Bed — and Now She Learns Fate

A Missouri woman has been sentenced to prison for fatally shooting her boyfriend after discovering messages from other women on his phone.

On Friday, April 25, Madison Rueckert, 23, was sentenced to 35 years in a state correctional facility for the shooting death of Jonathan Miller, 24, in Marshfield, according to online court records.

Initially charged with first-degree murder and armed criminal action, in 2024 Rueckert reached an agreement with prosecutors and agreed to plead guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in exchange for a lesser sentence, the online records show.

Rueckert was sentenced to 25 years for the murder charge and 10 years for the armed criminal action charge, which will be served consecutively, according to the online records.

The crime took place on Dec. 31, 2022, when Rueckert, who was 21 at the time, became upset when she found text messages to other women on Miller’s phone, police said, Ozarks First reported.

According to a probable cause statement obtained by The Marshfield Mail, she waited for Miller to fall asleep that night before shooting him in the head.

After that, she drove to Dallas County, where she spent the night in the woods, according to the statement.

She went to a stranger’s house and asked to speak to the police before turning herself in, according to court records obtained by KY3.

When Miller’s mother, Amy Kopp, learned what had happened, she “couldn’t believe it” was because she had discovered messages to other women, she told KY3. “He hadn’t even cheated on her.”

She told Ozarks First at the time, “We don’t know what’s in those texts. So, I mean, I seriously doubt he would have texted anybody sexual stuff and left it on his phone. So I don’t think it was sexual. I think it was just he was talking to other females.”

She said she was shocked when police told her Rueckert shot and killed her son.

“She was a great kid,” Kopp said. “We liked her. I mean, our son was really happy with her.” 

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“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.”