The mother of transgender Minneapolis mass shooter Robin Westman is refusing to cooperate with authorities in the ongoing investigation — and has hired a criminal defense lawyer in the wake of the deadly attack that left two young children dead and 18 others wounded.
Mary Grace Westman, the mother of shooter Robin Westman, 23, previously worked at the Annunciation Catholic Church — the very place where Wednesday morning’s massacre took place. Robin was also once a student at the school and chose the place as his target because he knew the place well. The distraught mother has now reportedly sought legal representation as a precautionary measure in the wake of the incident.
Unexpected Move
“We have not been successful in talking to the shooter’s mother,” Police Chief Brian O’Hara said. He did not share any further detail about the communications but confirmed that police carried out four search warrants on Wednesday, seizing hundreds of items of evidence, such as electronic devices.
Mary Grace later hired criminal defense lawyer Ryan Garry, as reported Thursday night, according to Fox News.
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“She is completely distraught about the situation and has no culpability but is seeking an attorney to deal with calls like this,” he told the outlet.
Garry has a history of handling high-profile cases — he once worked alongside former NFL player Colin Kaepernick in a lawsuit on behalf of George Floyd protesters, defended rapper Desiigner in a 2023 indecent exposure case on a plane, and won a not guilty verdict for a decorated state trooper who had been falsely accused of a sex offense, according to a Superlawyers profile.
In 2020, Mary Grace signed Robin’s legal name change from Robert to Robin, seemingly showing support for her child’s gender transition.
Regretting His Decision
In a manifesto, an audio version of which surfaced on YouTube, Robin admitted that they had “brainwashed” themself into identifying as transgender. “I only keep [the long hair] because it is pretty much my last shred of being trans. I’m tired of being trans, I wish I never brain-washed myself,” he wrote, according to a translation of the document conducted by The New York Post.
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“I can’t cut my hair now as it would be an embarrassing defeat, and it might be a concerning change of character that could get me reported. It just always gets in my way. I will probably chop it on the day of the attack,” he wrote.
“I regret being trans. I wish I was a girl, I just know I cannot achieve that body with the technology we have today. I also can’t afford that,” Robin wrote.
Mary Grace served as a secretary at Annunciation for five years before retiring in 2021, according to the church’s website.
Robin was a graduate of the school, located less than a mile from the family’s modest Tudor-style home on a peaceful, tree-lined street.
On Wednesday morning, he unleashed gunfire through the church’s stained-glass windows during a back-to-school Mass packed with children, leaving two kids dead and 18 others wounded — including 15 students, several of whom are still in critical condition.
