Mary Grace Westman is the mother of Robin Westman, the 23-year-old who carried out the devastating mass shooting at Annunciation Catholic School in Minneapolis during a back-to-school Mass in late August 2025. Prior to the tragedy, she had been employed for years as a secretary at the very school where her son later opened fire — an establishment he attended as a student before graduating in 2017.

Personal and Family Story

Beyond her connection to the school, Mary Grace has a deeply personal and emotionally complex story. In a profound twist of fate, she previously starred in a short film titled Mary Meets Gracedirected by her biological daughter — a daughter Mary Grace had given up for adoption as a child. The film, released in 2021 and featured in several film festivals, is a fictionalized portrayal of the emotional reunion between birth mother and daughter. The director, Faryl Amadeus, was adopted from Kentucky and raised in Brooklyn. After being reunited around 2005, she discovered Mary Grace had other children — including Robin, then about 3 years old.

Faryl described their connection as both unique and meaningful: “My birth mom… was so generous with this project… We have a very special connection. And it is different from being my mom, which I have. It is something special. ‘Birth mom’. Part friend / part self.”

Recent Events and Legal Response

Following the mass shooting—where two children were killed and 18 people injured—authorities sought to question Mary Grace. She did not initially cooperate with law enforcement, prompting federal agents to execute search warrants at her Florida residence in East Naples. Eventually, she retained criminal defense attorney Ryan Garry to represent her interests. Garry emphasized that she is “completely distraught” over the incident and maintains that she bears no culpability.