5 key details about Kate Ranta's attempted murder
Back in November 2012, Kate Ranta opened the door to escape because her estranged husband, retired Air Force Major Thomas Maffei, showed up at her Coral Springs apartment and opened fire. Their four-year-old son, William, stood just feet away as Maffei shot through the door and hit both Kate and her father.
He didn’t stop there. Inside the apartment, he fired again before being arrested without resistance. Maffei was later found guilty of two counts of attempted first-degree murder and handed a 60-year prison sentence, as reported by CBS News and ABC News in 2017 and 2024.
Airing on June 2, 2025, at 10 PM, Don’t Shoot Mommy, an episode from the true crime series Toxic, spotlights Kate Ranta’s story at its core, tracing the events that led to her near-fatal encounter and its aftermath on Investigation Discovery. The episode highlights how restraining orders and background checks failed to protect her even after she had followed every legal step.
Since then, Kate Ranta has become a leading voice for domestic violence survivors and gun reform, using her experience to push for change on a national level.
5 important details about Kate Ranta's attempted murder explored
Kate Ranta’s story will be shown in Don’t Shoot Mommy, airing June 2, 2025, at 10 pm ET on Investigation Discovery’s Toxic series. Here are five key details that provide deeper context into the violent attack and the events surrounding it:
1) Kate Ranta was shot by her estranged husband in front of their child
On November 2, 2012, Thomas Maffei shot Kate Ranta and her father, Robert, at her Coral Springs apartment. ABC News (June 7, 2024) reported that he fired through the door, hitting Kate and wounding her father.
Their four-year-old son, William, witnessed the shooting and reportedly screamed,
"Don't do it, daddy. Don't shoot mommy!"
Maffei was arrested at the scene and later convicted of two counts of attempted first-degree murder, among other charges.
2) The attack followed years of escalating abuse and system failures
As detailed in Rolling Stone and NPR News reports from 2023, Kate Ranta had obtained a temporary restraining order after a prior domestic violence incident. Despite this, Maffei was able to purchase a 9mm Beretta, the same weapon used in the attack, due to loopholes in the enforcement of firearm restrictions.
Prior to the shooting, Kate had attempted to permanently sever contact and move to a new location, but Maffei tracked her down. According to the March for Our Lives report dated June 13, 2024, child protective services had also warned Kate about Maffei’s dangerous behavior.
3) Defense attorneys cited mental health and substance use
During the trial, Thomas Maffei's legal team argued that his actions were not premeditated, attributing the incident to a combination of diagnosed PTSD, panic disorder, and involuntary intoxication. Psychiatrist Dr. David Kramer, according to a CBS News report from February 9, 2017, testified that Maffei had
"a significant amount of opiate, pain medication and a new prescription for clonazepam that had been prescribed hours before."
However, Kate later clarified via a Facebook post that Maffei's injuries stemmed from a 2007 motorcycle accident, not military deployment, and that he had been abusing pain medication for years.
4) Kate Ranta survived and became an advocate
Kate and her father were airlifted to a local hospital and underwent surgeries and a long recovery. Her father's arm suffered permanent damage, and all three, Kate, Robert, and William, were later diagnosed with complex PTSD.
As noted by CBS12 News on October 3, 2024, Kate Ranta went on to write Killing Kate: A Story of Turning Abuse and Tragedy into Transformation and Triumph and now advocates for gun safety and domestic violence awareness through public speaking and her SISU Facebook page.
5) The legal process included a mistrial and a retrial
Before reaching a verdict, the case faced delays due to procedural issues. As noted in the SouthFloridaCriminalAttorneysBlog report dated December 10, 2017, the initial trial resulted in a mistrial after jurors were found discussing the case prematurely.
A new trial was held, during which Kate recounted the years of abuse and the events of the shooting in detail. The jury ultimately found Maffei guilty, and he received two 60-year sentences with a minimum of 25 years each before parole eligibility.
Stay tuned for more updates.
