Columbia Center for Oral History Portal > Oral history interview with Kate Ranta, 2017Biographical NoteKate Ranta is originally from Lacey Township, New Jersey. She has lived in Los Angeles, California; Fort Lauderdale, Florida; multiple locations in Northern Virginia; and other cities. She has two sons, Henry and William, from her second and third marriages, respectively. In 2012, her estranged third husband Thomas Maffei shot her and her father at her apartment in Coral Springs, Florida. Ranta was struck in the hand and chest. Her father was hit in the side of his body and left arm. While they survived the attack, they both suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Her young son William was also present during the attack. The case took four and a half years to come to court, and the trial ended in the winter 2016. Maffei was found guilty of all five counts against him, including premeditated and attempted murder. He was sentenced to 60 years in prison. As of the 2020s, Ranta was working in marketing and was active in the gun violence prevention (GVP) community. With Alisa Divine, Ranta has written about her experiences in Killing Kate: A Story of Turning Abuse and Tragedy into Transformation and Triumph (Bay City, Michigan: Personal Power Press, Inc., 2019)
Scope and ContentsKate Ranta begins this two-session life history interview by describing her family structure and childhood in Lacey Township, New Jersey. She discusses her education at Purdue and Franklin and Marshall College, her first marriage and move to Los Angeles in her twenties, other moves and relationships, her move to Northern Virginia, divorce, meeting her second husband, and the birth of her first son. The majority of the interview covers her third marriage to Air Force officer Thomas Maffei. She describes his personality; his patterns of abuse; many moves, including to Fort Belvoir, Virginia and Parkland, Florida; his AWOL status with military; and his stalking after she left him. In 2012, Maffei shot Ranta and her father. She gives a detailed accounting the shooting, aftermath, and trial. She also describes her physical and mental health and that of her father and sons. She closes discussing her political activity and involvement in the gun violence prevention (GVP) community
SubjectsAccess ConditionsCopyright by Kate Ranta. The Trustees of Columbia University in the City of New York hold a non-exclusive license to enable library activities
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