A memorial is seen on the desk of DFL State Rep. Melissa Hortman in the House chambers at the Minnesota State Capitol on June 16, 2025 in St. Paul, Minnesota.
Steven Garcia | Getty Images
Federal prosecutors on Monday charged the man accused of assassinating a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and shooting another lawmaker and his wife, with stalking, murder and firearms offenses.
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is facing both state and federal charges in the assassination of Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shooting of Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in a separate attack.
The details of the crime “are truly chilling, it is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares,” Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said Monday.
“Political assassinations are rare,” Thompson said. “They strike at the very heart of our democracy.”
Thompson said that early Saturday morning, Boelter went to the homes of four Minnesota state lawmakers “with the intent to kill them.”
One of the lawmakers, a Minnesota state representative, was not home when Boelter arrived at her home, so he left, Thompson said.
He did not disclose the names of the two other lawmakers.
Boelter “planned his attack carefully,” including researching the victims and their families, and he “conducted surveillance of their homes,” Thompson said.
Thompson said “it is too early to tell” whether the Justice Department will seek the death penalty in Boelter’s case, but it “is one of the options for several of the charges.
The remarks come after authorities late Sunday apprehended Boelter.
Boelter’s arrest Sunday night was the result of what authorities called the “largest manhunt” in Minnesota state history, spanning 43 hours and involving 20 swat teams.
Doorbell camera footage showed Boelter wearing a mask and impersonating a police officer to gain access to the victims’ homes, where the shootings took place.
This booking photo provided by the Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office shows Vance Boelter in Green Isle, Minn., on June 16, 2025.
Hennepin County Sheriff’s Office via AP
“Mr. Boelter was taken into state custody, and our office intends to pursue first-degree murder charges against Mr. Boelter,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Monday.
The maximum penalty for a conviction on first-degree murder charges is life in prison without parole, Moriarty said.
Authorities captured the suspect late Sunday in a rural part of Sibley County, Minnesota, where he was found crawling in a field. He was armed at the time of his arrest, but gunfire was not exchanged at the time of his arrest, authorities said.
Earlier on Sunday, authorities had discovered the suspect’s car and hat in Sibley County, leading them to zero in on the area.
The shootings rattled Minnesota and lawmakers across the country.
The suspected gunman was also carrying a notebook with names of other potential targets, including dozens of officials and lawmakers.
Gov. Tim Walz has said the attacks appeared to be “politically motivated.”
This is a breaking news story and will be updated.
