A man was indicted by a federal grand jury on Tuesday for the fatal shooting of a prominent Minnesota state representative and her husband, as well as the serious injury of a state senator and his wife. The man, Vance Boelter, is accused of carrying out the attacks while disguised as a police officer. The indictment includes charges of murder, stalking, and firearms offenses. The murder charges for the deaths of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, could potentially result in the federal death penalty.
Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson described the case as a “political assassination” that has deeply affected the state of Minnesota. The decision on whether to seek the death penalty will be made in the coming months by U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi. While Minnesota does not have a state death penalty, the federal government under President Donald Trump’s administration has expressed intent to pursue capital punishment for eligible federal crimes.
In a news conference, Thompson shared new information, including a handwritten letter by Boelter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he claimed to have received military training and conducted missions for the U.S. military. The letter also mentioned an alleged conversation with Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz about targeting the state’s U.S. senators. However, Thompson stated that these claims were likely fantasy.
Boelter, described as an evangelical Christian with conservative political views, is also facing state murder and attempted murder charges in Hennepin County. Prosecutors allege that he drove a fake police car, wore a realistic mask, and tactical gear during the early morning attack on Sen. John Hoffman and his wife in Champlin.
The federal case against Boelter will proceed first, with further details and developments expected in the ongoing investigation.
Survived. Prosecutors claim that he proceeded to visit the residences of two other lawmakers. One of them, located in Maple Grove, was empty, while he may have been deterred by a police officer from approaching the second lawmaker’s home in New Hope. Subsequently, Boelter is accused of going to the Hortmans’ residence in nearby Brooklyn Park and fatally injuring both of them. Their dog was severely wounded and had to be put down.
Brooklyn Park police, who had been informed about the Hoffmans’ shootings, arrived at the Hortman household around 3:30 a.m., just before the gunman began shooting at the couple, according to the complaint. Allegedly, Boelter fled the scene, abandoning his vehicle, which contained notebooks detailing numerous Democratic officials as potential targets along with their addresses, as well as five firearms and a substantial amount of ammunition.
Law enforcement officers apprehended Boelter approximately 40 hours later, about a mile away from his rural home in Green Isle, following what authorities described as the most extensive manhunt for a suspect in Minnesota’s history.
In remembrance of the victims, Senator Hoffman has been discharged from the hospital and is currently receiving care at a rehabilitation center, as stated by his family last week, noting that he faces a long recovery journey. Yvette Hoffman was released a few days after the incident. Former President Joe Biden visited the senator in the hospital during his visit for the Hortmans’ funeral.
Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris stood with mourners at the Hortmans’ funeral on June 28. Governor Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate in the 2024 Democratic presidential election, delivered a eulogy for Melissa Hortman, praising her as “the most influential Speaker in Minnesota’s history.”
Hortman served as the House Speaker from 2019 until January and played a key role in advancing a progressive agenda for Democrats in 2023. She passed on the speakership to a Republican under a power-sharing agreement following the tied House elections in November, assuming the title Speaker Emerita.
(Contributions to this report were made by Associated Press reporter Ed White in Detroit.)
