Vance Boelter admits to murdering Democratic lawmaker and her husband, faces two life sentences plus 40 years
Vance Boelter, 58, pleaded guilty Thursday in federal court to the June 2025 assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, in a politically motivated attack that shocked the state and the country. The plea came after federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty — a moot point in Minnesota, which abolished capital punishment in 1911, but significant given the case’s federal jurisdiction.
Boelter, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car, arrived at the Hortmans’ home in the early hours of June 14, 2025, and shot both of them. He then traveled to the home of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, in Champlin, shooting both multiple times. The Hoffmans survived; the Hortmans did not.
A Calculated, Disguised Attack
FBI investigators released security footage stills showing Boelter wearing a bald-headed mask while posing as a law enforcement officer outside his victims’ doors. The level of premeditation was extensive: a fake squad car, a police disguise, and coordinated predawn strikes on the homes of two prominent Democratic officials.
During Thursday’s hearing before US District Judge John Tunheim, Boelter gave brief but unambiguous answers as prosecutors walked through the charges. When asked whether he pressed a gun to Melissa Hortman’s head and fired, Boelter answered: “Yes.”
The judge reviewed all six federal counts and their associated potential sentences. A sentencing date has not yet been set, but Boelter faces an agreed term of two life sentences plus 40 years.
Survivors Left With Permanent Injuries
John and Yvette Hoffman were present in the courtroom Thursday as the details of the attack were read into the record. Their adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was inside the home during the shooting and called 911, was not harmed.
According to an April civil lawsuit filed by the Hoffmans against Boelter, Senator Hoffman’s left arm and hand are likely to never fully recover. He also sustained permanent injuries to his digestive and urinary systems. Yvette Hoffman was left with permanent physical weakness.
The Hortmans’ golden retriever was also shot during the attack and had to be euthanized.
Motive Remains Murky, But Political Targeting Is Clear
Boelter was captured near his rural home in Green Isle, Minnesota, one day after the shootings, following what prosecutors described as the “largest manhunt for a suspect in Minnesota history.”
When indicted federally in July, prosecutors released a handwritten letter Boelter allegedly wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel that they characterized as a confession. The letter did not clearly explain why he targeted the Hortmans or the Hoffmans specifically.
In communications to media, Boelter referenced a vague personal “investigation” he claimed to have been conducting — and at points appeared to connect it to COVID-19 vaccines. Friends described him as an evangelical Christian who had done missionary work, held conservative political views, and had struggled to find employment.
State Charges Still Pending
Boelter still faces separate state charges, which were paused while the federal case proceeded. Those charges include two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, impersonating a police officer, and animal cruelty.
A spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office confirmed that the federal plea agreement does not affect the state prosecution. Minnesota has never had a federal death penalty case, and the state’s own ban on capital punishment has been in place for over a century.
Melissa Hortman had been one of the most powerful Democrats in Minnesota state government, serving as Speaker of the House. Her assassination — carried out by a man who dressed as a police officer to gain access to her home — represents one of the most brazen acts of political violence in modern American history.