Minnesota's two U.S Senators are remembering Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, as we near the one year mark since their tragic killings.
Both Senator Tina Smith and Senator Amy Klobuchar spoke on the Senate Floor about the killings by Vance Boelter, who changed his plea to guilty in federal court on Thursday.
"She was a generational leader, she led with integrity and courage," said Sen. Klobuchar. "She consistently reached across the aisle to make life better for Minnesotans."
June 14 marks one year since the shooting.
"Melissa and Mark left behind a state in mourning, but their two incredible children, Colin and Sophie, rose through their grief and best captured their parents' legacy as they said, the best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else," Klobuchar added.
Senator Tina Smith also remembered Hortman and her legacy.
"My heart is with their family and their friends, and especially their children, Sophie and Colin," Sen. Smith said. "I know that they are comforted by the fact that so many people love Mark and Alyssa, Melissa so much."
It's just by chance the the week leading up to the one-year mark since the killings brought some form of resolution to the criminal proceedings in the case, with Boelter pleading guilty, a change from his earlier not-guilty plea. The deal with federal prosecutors came after the pulled the death penalty off the table.
"This solemn anniversary, I know we'll probably bring a fresh wave of opinions and think pieces trying to answer the questions of what Melissa's death means and where we go from here," Smith said. "What this says about the state of American politics or what it might reveal about our fraying democracy, and I have to tell you honestly that I don't have answers."
Mary Lahammer of TPT's Almanac, told the WCCO Morning News with Vineeta Sawkar the Capitol in St. Paul is forever changed because of what happened a year ago.
"Security is one of them, but also that memorial that is still there on the House floor," Lahammer says. "I'm sure you've seen the images of her desk where there are a dozen roses that were refreshed every single day."
Lahammer says they'll tell the story behind how those flowers were added to her desk on Almanac Friday night.
"Chief clerk, Patrick Murphy, who's been there for almost half a century, that's what he did in his grief, and he tells that story," Lahammer says. "He does not like a lot of attention, he hasn't talked about this much, but he said he went, he lives in Saint Paul just down the street from the Capitol, his family goes way back. And he said, 'I went and found the biggest, fattest roses I could possibly find, and I put them on her desk.' And then he said it wasn't enough, and (he) tore a photo off the wall of her, literally just tore that photo off the wall. That's the photo that's still sitting on her desk to this day."
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.(Photo by Steven Garcia/Getty Images)The horrific attacks last summer by Boelter, 58, sparked the largest police search in state history and reverberated across the country, with elected officials fearing that escalating threats and polarization could lead to more violence. Boelter pleaded guilty so that federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty; instead, he agreed to serve two consecutive life sentences, plus 40 years.
Boelter, disguised in a tactical uniform and realistic mask, parked his police-style SUV with emergency flashing lights in the driveway of Hortman's home at around 3:30 a.m. on June 14, 2025. He rang the doorbell, shouting: “Police, welfare check,” according to a plea agreement made public Thursday. Mark Hortman, her husband, answered the door.
Mark Hortman told Boelter that his wife was also in the home, and Boelter said he'd need to see her before he could leave, according to the plea agreement. When Mark Hortman asked, Boelter gave him a fake name and badge number and, when Hortman followed up for his jurisdiction, Boelter hesitated before naming a different Minneapolis suburb, the agreement states. Boelter then immediately took out his gun to shoot Hortman multiple times, according to the agreement.
Boelter then “rushed forward through the front door into the home” and shot Melissa Hortman repeatedly “as she attempted to flee upstairs,” according to the plea agreement. Both Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed.
Boelter had already been to the home of state Sen. John Hoffman that night, shooting and critically injuring him and his wife, Yvette, while their daughter was nearby.
There were brief sobs from the courtroom gallery Thursday where family members of the Hortmans sat alongside John and Yvette Hoffman as the attacks were described in detail. Again and again Boelter simply said “yes,” as his attorney questioned him about his actions, including whether he pressed a pistol to Melissa Hortman’s head and fired.
