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Man who killed Minnesota lawmaker and her husband pleads guilty to murder in federal case

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Minneapolis —  The man who killed a former Minnesota House Speaker and
her husband, and who seriously injured another lawmaker and his wife,
agreed to a deal with federal prosecutors Thursday, ensuring he will not
be put to death. Vance Boelter, 58, entered guilty pleas to murder and
stalking charges along with firearms offenses during a court hearing in
Minneapolis, nearly a year after he committed the political
assassinations of Democrat Melissa Hortman and her husband and, in a
separate shooting, wounded Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his
wife. 

The Hoffmans were among the spectators who filled the courtroom gallery
along with several members of Boelter’s family. 

The government recommended a sentence of two consecutive life terms plus
40 years. Judge John R. Tunheim accepted the recommended sentence and
said he would schedule a formal sentencing hearing later this summer
where victims would be allowed to speak. 

“There is no justice for Mark and Melissa Hortman, and there is not
justice when our family and our state will never truly heal,” the
Hoffman family said in a statement following the hearing. “While the
legal process may provide accountability, true healing requires
something more from all of us.” 

Victims’ relatives cry as Boelter gives details of killings
For the first time, Boelter acknowledged in court he planned the murders
months in advance and disguised himself as a police officer during the
shootings. 

When Boelter arrived at the Hoffman home in Champlin, Minnesota, John
Hoffman answered the door. Boelter falsely stated there had been a
shooting and asked if there were guns in the home. After Hoffman
answered no, Boelter ordered the family to put their hands up and then
shot John and Yvette Hoffman multiple times. 

John Hoffman was critically injured, but both he and his wife survived
after surgery. 

Boelter’s confession about murdering the Hortmans was even more
detailed. 

Approaching their front door in a suburb north of Minneapolis while
wearing a police outfit, a wig and a mask, Boelter pounded on the door
and shouted, “Police, welfare check!” When Mark Hortman answered,
Boelter told him there had been shots fired. 

“Good God, I was asleep,” Hortman responded.

Boelter asked if there was anyone else in the home. Mark Hortman said
only his wife, Melissa, was in the house, and Boelter responded he
needed to see her. When Mark Hortman later demanded credentials, Boelter
pulled out his gun and shot Mark multiple times and then shot Melissa
Hortman as she tried to run upstairs. 

Boelter acknowledged shooting Melissa Hortman point-blank in the head,
an admission that prompted muffled crying from friends and relatives of
the Hortmans in the audience. 

Plea deal approved by attorney general

Minnesota’s top federal prosecutor said Boelter’s willingness to accept
the longest possible prison sentences on all charges was the only thing
that prompted them to drop the possibility of the death penalty. 

“The truth is, when you have a defendant that is prepared to plead
guilty to consecutive life terms plus (40 years) to ensure that he never
sees freedom again in his entire life, that was an opportunity that we
just could not pass up,” said Daniel Rosen, US Attorney for the District
of Minnesota. 

The plea agreement was approved by Acting US Attorney General Todd
Blanche, according to a court filing Wednesday, a decision Rosen said
was the right choice. 

“There is absolutely no daylight between me and the attorney general on
this, and we see it the exact same way,” Rosen said. 

The day of the shootings, Boelter was dressed like a police officer,
wearing tactical armor, a police-style badge and a silicone mask when he
showed up heavily armed at the lawmakers’ homes, authorities said. 

The first call to 911 came from the Hoffmans’ adult daughter, Hope,
according to a family statement, who also locked the door on Boelter. 

Concerned about the possibility of a politically motivated attack,
police conducted a welfare check on the Hortmans’ home and encountered
Boelter standing outside near the front door, where he began firing
shots into the home. He got away by opening fire on officers,
prosecutors said, leaving behind a hit list with nearly 70 names and
three AK-47 assault-style rifles and a 9mm handgun in his vehicle. 

Boelter was finally captured after a frenzied 43-hour search in what has
been described as the largest manhunt in the state’s history. Police
caught up to Boelter in a field in Green Isle, Minnesota, arresting him
a mile from his home. 

Between the shootings at the Hoffman and the Hortman homes, Boelter went
to the homes of two other state lawmakers who were not named in the
indictment, but was not able to make contact with the families,
according to investigators. 

Boelter still faces separate state charges
Boelter ran “a planned campaign of stalking and violence, designed to
inflict fear, injure, and kill members of the Minnesota state
legislature and their families,” federal prosecutors said in an
affidavit. The attacks were highly planned, authorities said, with
Boelter possibly spending months to gather information about his targets
and buy supplies. 

Authorities recovered both guns used in the shootings, as well as a
handwritten letter to FBI Director Kash Patel found inside Boelter’s
abandoned car, authorities previously said. 

Boelter still faces state charges, including two counts of first-degree
premeditated murder and four counts of attempted first-degree murder.
The longest sentence he faces if convicted in the state case is life in
prison without parole. Minnesota abolished its death penalty more than a
century ago. 

“Mr. Boelter will sit in a Hennepin County courtroom and be held
accountable for his actions,” County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a
statement. 

Nearly a year later, the grief remains
On Thursday, Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz proclaimed June Public Service
Month in honor of Melissa and Mark Hortman, urging residents to perform
an act of service in the couple’s memory. 

“Melissa and Mark remind us that public service is not just for elected
officials—it’s for all of us,” Walz said in a post on X. 

In the proclamation, Walz described the grief lingering in the community
nearly a year after the attacks and said, “the weight of grief is
lighter when shared, as is the responsibility we hold for the common
good.” 

“Melissa and Mark Hortman served their communities with the knowledge
that a better world is possible, and it is up to each of us to work to
make it a reality,” the proclamation stated. 

The proclamation also recognized the Hortmans’ lifelong commitment to
service and called on businesses, schools and community organizations to
support public service opportunities throughout June. 

https://www.cnn.com/2026/06/11/us/vance-boelter-federal-plea-minnesota-la
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Man who killed Minnesota lawmaker and her husband pleads guilty to murder in federal case Raymond Schnauzer <1600rs@email.com> - 2026-06-12 05:29 +0000

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