The man accused of killing former Minnesota Speaker of the House Melissa Hortman, along with her husband Mark, plus the stalking and shooting of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, said Thursday he would plead guilty to all six counts against him in federal court.
Dressed in a bright orange sweatshirt, sweatpants and shackled at the ankles, Vance Boelter avoided the death penalty by pleading guilty to the murders of the Hortmans, and in the shootings of the Hoffmans.
Boelter was charged with two counts of murder (specifically, murder with a firearm) for the deaths of Hortman and her husband, two counts of stalking stemming from his targeting of the Hortman and Hoffman families, and two counts of firearms violations linked directly to the execution of the crimes.
“Political violence is a scourge in our nation,” said United States Attorney Daniel N. Rosen. “We now expect Vance Boelter will spend the rest of his natural life in prison without parole. To all of those who would commit political violence: this Justice Department will seek and obtain the longest prison terms for your offense.”
Boelter spoke periodically throughout the hearing, acknowledging facts of the case. Under terms of the agreement, he's expected to serve 2 consecutive life sentences, followed by 40 years in federal prison.
A sentencing date is expected to be set within the next 10 days, and happen by the end of July according to U.S. District Judge John Tunheim.
Separate from his federal case, a Minnesota state grand jury returned an indictment containing eight counts against Boelter. The state prosecution was put on hold while the federal charges were resolved.
"There is no justice for Mark and Melissa Hortman, and there is not justice when our family and our state will never truly heal," said a statement from the Hoffman family. "While the legal process may provide accountability, true healing requires something more from all of us. The choice we've made is to go forward with public service and being present for our community. The opportunity to justice is for Minnesotans and Americans to serve is to treat people with respect, and to stop dividing our country with hate and rhetoric."
Capture of Boelter ended the largest manhunt in Minnesota history
Boelter, 58, was captured near his home in rural Green Isle late the next day after what prosecutors have called the largest search for a suspect in Minnesota history. He faces federal and state murder, attempted murder and other charges. His state case has been on hold pending the resolution of his federal charges.
Minnesota abolished capital punishment in 1911 and has never had a federal death penalty case. Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesperson for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, said the federal plea deal would not affect Boelter’s state charges.
While the Trump administration has pushed for greater use of capital punishment, there were questions about whether Boelter’s case would qualify for the death penalty under federal law.
Prosecutors have called the shootings political. When they announced the federal indictment in July, they released a rambling handwritten letter they say Boelter wrote to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the attacks. However, the letter didn’t make clear why he targeted the Hortmans or the Hoffmans.
In some messages to media, Boelter referenced a vague and cryptic “investigation” he had been carrying out, sometimes suggesting it was about the COVID-19 vaccine.
Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian and occasional preacher and missionary, who held politically conservative views and had been struggling to find work.
John Hoffman said in a lawsuit filed against Boelter in April that his left arm and hand likely would never fully recover, and that he also had permanent injuries to his digestive and urinary systems.
Yvette Hoffman was left with permanent physical weakness, the lawsuit said, while their adult daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was there and called 911 but was not shot, suffered severe psychological trauma.
