Vance Boelter, 59, who admitted killing Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and critically wounding Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, is scheduled for federal sentencing on Thursday. He pleaded guilty to six federal counts and accepted two consecutive life terms plus 40 years to avoid the death penalty. Boelter admitted months of stalking and posed as a police officer during predawn attacks on June 14, 2025, which triggered the largest police search in Minnesota history. A presentencing memorandum was sealed, while prosecutors called the attacks an "assault on democracy" and defense lawyers requested placement and programming in a Florida federal facility.
Man Who Pleaded Guilty To Killing Minnesota House Speaker Faces Federal Sentencing
FILE - This photo made available by the Ramsey County Sheriff's Office shows Vance Luther Boelter, the man charged with killing the top Democrat in the Minnesota House and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, as he was arrested on June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)(Ramsey County Sheriff's Office via AP)
The Minnesota man who admitted killing House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Thursday. Vance Boelter, 59, pleaded guilty in June to six federal counts tied to the violent predawn attacks that also left state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, critically wounded.
FILE - Pictures of Mark and Melissa Hortman are set up inside the sanctuary at the Basilica of St. Mary's during funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman in Minneapolis, Saturday, June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, Pool, File)(Alex Kormann/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
Boelter agreed to accept two consecutive life terms plus an additional 40 years as part of a plea deal that spared him the death penalty. Federal prosecutors and Boelter's defenders described that sentence as the maximum available under the agreement short of execution.
FILE - Armed FBI agents search for an active shooter, sweeping a neighborhood adjacent to the home of Minnesota DFL State Representative Melissa Hortman, in Brooklyn Park, Minn., June 14, 2025. (Alex Kormann/Star Tribune via AP, File)(Alex Kormann/Minnesota Star Tribune via AP)
According to court records and charging documents, Boelter spent months identifying and stalking his targets before driving to multiple lawmakers' homes in the predawn hours of June 14, 2025. He was disguised in a tactical uniform and mask and impersonated a police officer when he approached the Hortmans' residence around 3:30 a.m., claiming to be conducting a welfare check.
FILE - Bullet holes mark the front door of the house of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife who were shot earlier in the day on June 14, 2025, in Champlin, Minn. (AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn, File)(AP Photo/Bruce Kluckhohn)
When Mark Hortman answered, Boelter gave a false name and badge number, asked that Melissa Hortman be summoned and then shot Mark multiple times. He pushed into the home and shot Melissa Hortman as she fled upstairs; both Melissa and Mark Hortman died of their wounds. Police say Boelter earlier shot and critically injured Sen. John Hoffman and his wife at their residence, and that he visited two other lawmakers' homes that same night.
FILE - Members of law enforcement agencies investigate near a vehicle suspected to belong to shooting suspect, Vance Boelter, June 15, 2025, in Belle Plaine, Minn. (AP Photo/George Walker IV, File)(AP Photo/George Walker IV)
The shootings prompted what authorities called the largest police search in Minnesota history and heightened security measures for public officials across the state. Prosecutors described the attacks as an "assault on democracy," saying Boelter "shattered the lives of his victims" and terrorized public servants.
Prosecutors: "He viciously attacked the organs of Minnesota's representative government," the filing said.
A presentencing memorandum and objections filed in June were sealed by the court as of early Thursday, though both sides submitted letters outlining their recommendations. Federal defenders asked that Boelter be placed in a federal facility in Florida, be permitted to work to help pay restitution and be allowed to participate in therapy and in-person programs, noting his decades of employment in food service and other fields.
Boelter also faces separate state charges, including two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty. The Hortmans' golden retriever was gravely injured in the attack and had to be euthanized. In April, Sen. Hoffman and his family filed a personal-injury lawsuit against Boelter.
Sentencing will determine Boelter’s federal punishment; additional state proceedings remain pending.
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