Vance Boelter pleads guilty to Minnesota legislator shootings

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — In a crowded downtown courtroom on Thursday, Vance Boelter pleaded guilty to federal charges for the killings of former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband last year.

With shooting victims and family members of the deceased sitting feet away, Boelter, donning an orange sweatsuit and black glasses, waived his right to trial and admitted guilt.

Per the agreement, Boelter agrees to a sentence of two consecutive terms of life, followed by 40 years of imprisonment. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim said the court is likely to accept the sentencing recommendation.

A recounting of the events was met with cries in the courtroom, most harrowingly as Boelter admitted to pressing a gun to Melissa Hortman’s head and firing as she fled up the stairs of her home.

Boelter confirmed he planned the attacks months in advance.

Boelter, 58, of Green Isle, had previously pleaded not guilty last August. Prosecutors say he targeted the homes of four Democratic Minnesota legislators in the middle of the night on June 14, 2025, carrying out the shootings while disguised as a police officer.

The facts lined out during Thursday’s hearing saw Boelter admit to driving his black SUV, equipped with law enforcement lights, to the legislators’ homes while wearing a black body armor vest and silicone mask.

In the shootings, Boelter identified himself as a police officer in order to enter lawmakers’ homes — addresses he found through an investigative effort online where he also identified surveillance points, phone numbers and other personal and identifiable information of his targets.

The plea agreement comes days after the Justice Department announced it would not seek the death penalty against Boelter — a condition outlined in a Wednesday letter to the court.

In a press conference after the hearing, Minnesota U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen said political violence is a “scourge plaguing America in our times,” adding the office expects Boelter to spend the rest of his life in prison without parole.

“Those that would commit political violence … at any level, should take heed,” he said. “The Department of Justice will seek the longest prison sentence for those crimes.”

Expressing belief prosecutors would have ultimately prevailed in court, Rosen said he and U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche were in-step on the decision to pull the death penalty in exchange for a guilty plea.

“When you have a defendant that is prepared to plead guilty, take consecutive life terms plus to ensure that he never sees freedom again in his entire life, that was an opportunity that we just could not pass up,” he said.

Rosen said the department is unaware of Boelter’s motivations.

The department told Courthouse News in an email earlier this week the underlying stalking charges in Boelter’s case likely did not meet the threshold for a death sentence.

Federal prosecutors may seek capital punishment in cases where a violent crime leads to murder involving a firearm, though significant debate exists over whether stalking qualifies as a violent crime.

“Bringing justice to the families and loved ones of victims of violence is the number one priority of the Department of Justice,” a DOJ spokesperson told Courthouse News in an email Monday. “Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he was held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”

Boelter pleaded guilty Thursday to all six federal charges, including two counts of stalking, murder and firearms violations.

In state court, he faces two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count of animal cruelty and impersonating an officer.

Because Minnesota does not have a state death penalty, the Justice Department’s decision to forgo a federal capital sentence meant Boelter could at most face multiple life sentences.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced Thursday intentions to move forward with state charges against Boelter following his guilty plea in federal court.

“Mr. Boelter will sit in a Hennepin County courtroom and be held accountable for his actions,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “We are in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office about transferring Mr. Boelter into our custody.”

Boelter’s shooting spree began just after 2 a.m. at the home of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who were both critically injured but survived.

John Hoffman was in attendance at the hearing Thursday.

The Hoffmans, alongside their daughter, have since filed a personal injury suit against Boelter in Minnesota state court.

Boelter then drove to a lawmaker’s home in New Hope, who was not present, before arriving at the Hortman residence in Brooklyn Park, where he shot and killed Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark.

Following the attacks, Boelter escaped through a golf course into the woods, sparking a massive two-day manhunt that law enforcement dubbed the largest search for a suspect in state history.

Boelter was arrested some 40 hours later in a field near his home in Green Isle, Minnesota.

Law enforcement discovered documents in Boelter’s vehicle after the shooting that included the names and addresses of many political figures in the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party.

Officials also recovered five firearms and a large quantity of ammunition.

Police chiefs from Champlin, Brooklyn Park and Minneapolis stood behind Rosen at a press conference Thursday and declined to speak when asked about scrutiny regarding delayed response times.

“I am extremely proud of the immediate, cooperative and comprehensive response of law enforcement from all over Minnesota to quickly track down a ruthless killer,” FBI Minneapolis Field Office Special Agent in Charge Christopher Dotson said in a press release. “Our hearts are with the victims and their surviving families.”

Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley, whose jurisdiction covers the area where the Hortmans were shot and killed, said in the release “no courtroom outcome can undo the devastation of that morning,” adding hopes that accountability, at the very least, offers a step toward closure.

Melissa Hortman, who most recently served an area north of the Twin Cities, was first elected in 2004 and served as the Minnesota House speaker from 2019 to January 2025.

The shootings sparked national shock, fueling a wave of bipartisan security overhauls to better protect lawmakers’ personal information and heavily secure government buildings against political violence.

Tunheim said the court would seek an expedited sentencing. The Bill Clinton appointee expects to complete Boelter’s sentencing before the end of July.