BILLINGS — Nearly 10 months after a stabbing at Billings Senior High, a student who witnessed the aftermath says she and her family are still frustrated by unanswered questions and the decision not to pursue felony charges.
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Abigail Madinger remembers sitting in a classroom with her basketball teammates after school on Jan. 13 when she heard her math teacher, Jason Rader, yelling for help in the hallway.
“You just hear somebody yelling, ‘Help,’ and then you see a whole bunch of blood,” Madinger said. “My immediate reaction was like, ‘Oh my God, he just got shot.’”
Authorities said the incident involved Rader and an 18-year-old student. Nearly 10 months later, the case has taken another turn, but Madinger says the latest development has done little to ease her frustration.
The Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office will not pursue felony charges in the case. The matter has since been transferred to the Billings city attorney’s office, which is conducting an independent review.
Related: No felony charges filed in Billings Senior stabbing as case moves to city attorney's office
For Madinger, who says she witnessed the immediate aftermath of the stabbing, the decision leaves questions about accountability and what the outcome means for students and teachers.
“Still, anybody would look at that and be like, ‘That’s wrong, and something needs to happen,’ but nothing has," she said. "It’s just frustrating.”
Madinger said she saw that Rader had been stabbed near his collarbone and had hit his head during the altercation.
“He’s running, and there’s blood going down his face because, I guess, when she attacked him, he fell down and smacked his head,” Madinger said, describing what she saw. “There was blood all on his head, and there was blood on his shoulder where he got stabbed.”
The experience left Madinger and her teammates frightened and confused, she said. In the days that followed, she said, students struggled to understand what had happened and felt they could not openly discuss their concerns.
She said the lack of information made it difficult for students to process what they had witnessed.
“We’re being told to be quiet about it, like I'm not going to be quiet about it,” Madinger said. "I was involved. I should have the right to, like, say something about it.”
Now, she said, the decision not to pursue felony charges has left her questioning whether the seriousness of the incident is being recognized.
“They’re just making it seem like that’s OK in our school for somebody to do that, and then it’s just like nothing’s done about it,” Madinger said.
The case was previously handled by the Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office, which had been investigating the incident for several months. Earlier this week, Yellowstone County Attorney Scott Twito told MTN his office was nearing a decision.
On Friday, Billings City Attorney Gina Dahl confirmed to MTN that the case had been transferred to her office for an independent review.
“Our office is currently conducting its independent review of the matter,” Dahl said in an email. “We take our prosecutorial responsibilities seriously and are committed to ensuring that any determination is made thoughtfully, fairly, and in accordance with our legal and ethical obligations.”
The transfer does not mean additional charges have been filed. City attorneys generally prosecute municipal ordinance violations and state-law misdemeanors within city limits, while county attorneys handle felony and misdemeanor cases under state law.
The city attorney’s office has not announced whether any misdemeanor charges or other municipal violations will result from its review.
Madinger’s father, Abe Madinger, previously spoke with MTN about his concerns over the case. He said the latest development has brought more questions than answers.
“I guess my question is, like, why did they determine that? What evidence shows that it needs to move from county to city? And once again, where’s that information?” Abe Madinger said. "What's going on? It's unacceptable."
He said the lack of clarity has been difficult for families and others following the case.
“The city of Billings is watching, the parents are watching, students are watching, everybody’s watching,” he said. “But 10 months — just something’s not right about that.”
The frustration extends beyond the Madinger family.
Billings Public Schools Superintendent Erwin Garcia said in a statement that he learned through media reports that the Billings Police Department and Yellowstone County Attorney’s Office had completed their nine-month investigation.
Garcia said the district reported the incident to police immediately and cooperated with investigators while respecting the privacy of those involved.
“Like many in our community, I am frustrated to learn that no felony criminal charges will be brought as a result of this incident,” Garcia said.
He acknowledged that the absence of felony charges does not resolve the impact on students and staff. Garcia said the district will conduct its own investigation now that law enforcement’s work is complete. The district plans to seek court access to additional information, including criminal justice records.
The Billings Education Association also expressed frustration with the county attorney’s decision, saying the outcome raises concerns about consequences when students harm school staff.
In a statement, union President Lance Edwards said the association has supported Rader throughout the process and plans to continue advocating for him.
“The precedent this sets for educators everywhere concerns us a great deal,” the association said. "Teachers, like all employees, need to know in today's teaching climate that they can go to work, do their jobs, and perform their duties in a safe environment. They deserve to be free from worry that students or others will bring weapons into schools. And unequivocally, they need to be able to defend themselves and their students if situations like this one should ever arise."
The association also said it supports Rader’s return to the classroom if that is what he chooses to do.
Since the stabbing, the school district has reduced the number of accessible entrances at Senior High, provided police officers with access cards for quicker entry during emergencies, and enhanced radio communications. The district has also applied for grants to improve visual notification systems.
Read the full statements here.
For Madinger, those changes do not resolve the questions surrounding the case itself. She said the experience remains difficult to reconcile with the decision not to pursue felony charges, especially for students who witnessed the immediate aftermath.
"This is so wrong, and something needs to be done," she said. "I won't sit and just watch while nothing's being done."
