Vance Boelter, who was accused of murdering Minnesota State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, pleaded guilty to federal charges Thursday. The plea agreement spares Boelter the federal death penalty. Instead, he will serve two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in prison for the conviction, which also includes the attempted murder of State Senator John Hoffman, his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Hope, and related firearms charges.
On June 14, 2025, Boelter dressed like a law enforcement officer, put on a mask, and drove a black SUV, equipped to resemble a law enforcement vehicle, to the Hortmans’ home. The ruse caused the lawmakers to grant him access to their homes, where he shot them. Boelter tried to murder two other lawmakers that night, but one was on vacation. At the other home, he left when real police arrived.
Boelter had apparently planned his crimes for months, including surveillance missions and detailed online searches for information. The attacks on Hortman and Hoffman were only the start of a planned series of murders. He intended to kill 45 state and federal officials in multiple states, including Michigan, Ohio, and Wisconsin.
The case exemplified “a fear [citizens] should never have had to imagine, that their public servants had been hunted and attacked in their own homes,” said Alcohol, Tobacco, and Firearms St. Paul Field Division Special Agent in Charge Joe Persails.
“Mr. Boelter carried out a heinous and unprecedented act of political violence against Minnesota’s political leaders. Violence targeting public officials is an affront to our democracy. We are grateful for all the agencies that worked in partnership,” added Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans.
Boelter still faces state charges in the crimes. The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced that it is charging him with two counts of premeditated first degree murder, four counts of attempted premeditated first degree murder, and other crimes. “Mr. Boelter will…be held accountable for his actions (in Hennepin County). We are in contact with the US Attorney’s Office about transferring Mr. Boelter into our custody,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. Minnesota does not have the death penalty, and the sentence for a conviction on a single charge of first-degree premeditated murder is mandatory life in prison without the possibility of parole.
