Mary Grace Westman, the mother of Annunciation Catholic School killer Robert "Robin" Westman has been vilified on social media and in some press reports. As RedState reported, Westman, a transgender, killed two children and injured 17 others during a Wednesday morning mass at the Minneapolis Catholic school. Among Robin Westman's bitter rantings was his regret over his gender transition, which was legally approved by both his parents — the father James Allen, and the mother Mary Grace. Yet, much of the blame and anger over Robin Westman's heinous act (including by the shooter himself) has been placed in the lap of Mary Grace Westman.
instead of getting her son the help he needed, mary grace westman played along with robert paul westman's delusions and here we are
— Michelle Whitzel ™ (@MichelleWhitzel) August 30, 2025
two dead children
wake up america! pic.twitter.com/nlEYqEZIJw
To be fair, Mary Grace Westman has neither condemned nor defended her troubled son or his actions. She has been radio silent. According to social media reports, her condominium in Naples, Florida, was searched by the FBI, as she rushed back to Minneapolis to be with her family after the Westman's son committed the murders. Initial reports indicated she would not speak with law enforcement, and later reports further indicated that she had acquired legal counsel.
Fox News learned the shooter’s mother, Mary Grace Westman, has retained criminal defense attorney Ryan Garry.
When asked why the mother obtained a criminal attorney, Garry told Fox, "She is completely distraught about the situation and has no culpability but is seeking an attorney to deal with calls like this."
Read More: New: Minnesota Trans Shooter's 'Affirming' Mother Goes Dark, Refuses to Cooperate With Authorities
FBI Head Patel Updates About the ‘Barbaric Attack’ by Transgender Killer in MN Shooting
But according to reporting by investigative journalist Andy Ngo, Mary Grace's decision to sign the papers to allow her child to transition was made under duress. From Robin Westman's manifesto and writings, Mary Grace did not support his transition and told him he would regret it. After she signed the forms, Mary Grace Westman chose not to share this with the rest of her family. Ngo writes:
“[Robert] was the youngest of five children and experienced a difficult divorce between his parents,” the source says. “Shortly after she signed the form for Bobby, she moved to Florida after he turned 18. She was heartbroken over all of this … She moved away from all of us. ”
The source added: “Mary Grace did not share with us that she signed the [identity change] paper for Bobby. She probably would not have been able to face us. But we would all still have loved and accepted her decision, knowing that her back was against the wall.”
Ngo also noted that it is not unusual for people involved in a criminal investigation to obtain legal counsel. It is a matter of protection. But this has not stopped people from accusing Mary Grace Westman of the worst of mothering and evil equal to her child's act.
This is the face of pure evil.
— ℜ𝔢𝔰𝔱𝔬𝔯𝔦𝔫𝔤 𝔱𝔥𝔢 𝔉𝔞𝔦𝔱𝔥 (@rtf_media) August 27, 2025
This is “Robin” (Robert) Westman’s mother, Mary Grace Westman.
She worked at a Catholic School. They awarded her service.
She petitioned the court to “change” Robert’s gender when he was 17.
White liberal women are an actual menace to society. pic.twitter.com/CUN7ty0k1m
However, Ngo strives to demonstrate that there appeared to be a "values misalignment" between Mary Grace and James Allen. Mary Grace was a traditionalist and a devout Catholic. James Allen Westman was neither conservative nor religious. These divided ideals and moral focus may have been what led to their divorce in 2013, when Robert Westman was only 10. A divorce, as mentioned by Ngo's source above, which was fraught with difficulty. Mary Grace Westman worked at Annunciation Catholic Church as parish secretary for five years before she retired, and received glowing praise from her superiors at the church.
She has provided such wonderful hospitality, friendship and compassion to all who gathered for the last five years at Annunciation. You will be missed!
This belies the image of an AWFL or transgender zealot. According to reports, Mary Grace Westman grew up in a devout Catholic family, and her leanings did not appear to change. Despite the transgender community's entreaties to change their stance, Catholic doctrine does not recognize so-called gender affirming care.
In light of growing numbers around the world, the topic of transgenderism is receiving more and more attention from politicians, psychologists and the media. The Catholic Church has also spoken out with its document Dignitas Infinita, where the Vatican clearly rejects gender reassignment.
“Regarding gender reassignment, the document reflects on the importance of accepting reality as it is. The subject is important to be seen as a whole because today, there is a tendency to want to create reality,” said Cardinal Victor Manuel Fernandez from the Dicastery for the Doctrine of the Faith.
Several experts agree. They warn that sex change is permanent and young people, in particular, should not be allowed to make this irreversible decision.
Ngo continued:
The shooter himself admitted in his manifesto that his mother was not supportive of his transition, and he resented her for it.
“I remember one day, she said something like, ‘In the future you will look back and feel ridiculous about who you feel like you are inside. You will regret this,’” the shooter wrote in his manifesto. He also confessed that he had come to realize he’d been “brainwashed” into becoming trans.
James Westman = liberal dad, loud supporter of transition.
— MDBayNews (@MDBayNews) September 1, 2025
Mary Grace Westman = conservative mom, pressured to consent.
Robin Westman = mass shooter, manifesto filled with hate.
Question: Why did the mother get blamed while the father got a pass?
On Friday, The New York Post also shed some light on Mary Grace Westman's background, through the child Westman gave up for adoption when she was young, but reunited with many years later.
The mother of transgender Minneapolis mass shooter Robin Westman once appeared in a movie made by her daughter — who she gave up for adoption as a child, a report revealed.
Mary Grace Westman, 67, starred in the short film “Mary Meets Grace,” written and directed by her biological daughter, Faryl Amadeus, 44, who was adopted as a child from Kentucky, the Daily Mail reported.
That 2021 short film, which appeared in several festivals, was a fictionalized retelling of Amadeus’ real-life reunion with her biological mom, played by Mary Grace herself.
“My birth mother, who appears in the film, found me in 2005 and we later reunited with my bio dad in 2012,” Amadeus told Nerd Daily in 2021. “The emotional mystery of adoption could fuel countless stories.”
“My birth mom was so generous with this project. She lent me photographs of herself, she flew during the pandemic to film. We have a very special connection. And it is different from being my mom, which I have,” the filmmaker expounded.
Faryl Amadeus even traveled to Minneapolis to meet her half-siblings, which included then-three-year-old Robert Westman. According to the report, Amadeus was not mentioned in Robin Westman's manifesto.
Dive Deeper: 'Gender Center' Whistleblower Tears Apart Affirmative Narrative After MN Shooting
First, it is noteworthy that so much focus has been on the mother, Mary Grace Westman, and what she allowed her child to do, but little to no scrutiny or focus has been placed on the father, James Allen Westman, and his role in parenting Robert Westman.
It’s a pretty damning indictment of our society when an incident like this happens and all the focus is on the mother. Shouldn’t we also be asking what happened to the father of this monster and the absence of male influence?https://t.co/tFX8VProem
— 🇺🇸🇨🇺 Jim Böbarino 🇨🇺🇺🇸 (@JBobMagnificent) August 30, 2025
The father’s role in helping his offspring develop a sense of their sexual identity has been recognized for some time. More than 20 years ago, Maccoby and Jacklin (1974) examined the ways that fathers and men in general differentiate or shape children’s sexual identity to conform with societal norms regarding gender-role expectations. They describe men’s language, vocabulary, and physical handling styles that together serve to render sons “masculine” and daughters “feminine.” Differences in nurturing that have to do with role and differences that are related to gender are extremely difficult, if not impossible, to tease apart.
As more facts are revealed about Robert "Robin" Westman's tragic actions against innocent children, the fact that one parent is demonized based on scant evidence, while the other parent is ignored or dismissed, not only comes off lopsided, but reflects society's warped view on the role of fathers in shaping their children. As in many matters concerning children, a balanced perspective is required.
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