A young Missouri woman who gunned down her boyfriend while he slept — allegedly over text messages to other women — has been sentenced to 35 years behind bars.
Madison Rueckert, now 23, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and armed criminal action in the 2022 slaying of her 24-year-old boyfriend, Jonathan Miller. Prosecutors said Rueckert shot him in the head on New Year’s Eve after finding messages on his phone that sparked her jealousy. According to investigators, she waited for him to fall asleep before pulling the trigger.
Rueckert, who was originally charged with first-degree murder, took a plea deal earlier this year, avoiding a potential life sentence. She received 25 years for the murder and an additional 10 years for the weapons charge — to be served one after the other.
After the killing, Rueckert fled to Dallas County and spent the night hiding in the woods. She later walked up to a stranger’s home and asked them to call police. She turned herself in without resistance.
Jonathan Miller’s mother, Amy Kopp, still struggles to make sense of the murder. She told local outlet KY3 that Rueckert killed her son over text messages that weren’t even proof of cheating.
“He hadn’t even cheated on her,” Kopp said. “We don’t know what was in those texts, but I doubt it was anything sexual. Maybe he was just talking to other girls. That’s not a reason to take someone’s life.”
Adding to the heartbreak, Kopp said her son had fallen hard for Rueckert — and had become deeply involved in her child’s life. “Even though they’d only been dating since May, Madison’s baby was his number one priority. He really cared.”
Family members say they never saw it coming. “She was a great kid,” Kopp said of Rueckert. “We liked her. Our son was really happy with her.”
The shocking case left a community reeling — a romance that started with promise and ended in a cold-blooded killing.
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Author: thedailycrime1
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