Vance Boelter, 58, pleaded guilty today in federal court to murdering Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, and shooting state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman in June 2025 [1, 2, 3, 4].
The shootings occurred in the early hours of June 14, 2025, when Boelter disguised himself as a police officer and used a fake squad car to approach the victims’ homes [1, 2, 3]. Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed, while the Hoffmans were seriously wounded but survived [1, 2, 3].
Boelter was captured near his rural Green Isle home on June 15 after what prosecutors called the largest suspect search in Minnesota history [1]. He pleaded guilty to six federal charges related to the attack today after prosecutors announced they would not seek the death penalty [1, 2, 3]. Boelter faces life in prison and additional state charges that remain pending [1, 2].
Authorities and prosecutors consider the shootings politically motivated [1, 2]. Boelter sent a handwritten letter to FBI Director Kash Patel confessing to the shootings but did not clearly explain a motive [1]. Friends described him as an evangelical Christian with conservative political views who struggled to find work [1].
The attack also injured the Hortmans’ golden retriever so severely it had to be euthanized [1, 3]. John Hoffman stated in a lawsuit that he suffered permanent injuries to his left arm and hand, digestive system, and urinary system from the shooting, saying, "My left arm and hand would probably never fully recover, and that I also had permanent injuries to my digestive and urinary systems." [1]
The attack renewed concerns over rising political violence in the United States [2]. President Donald Trump supports expanding capital punishment and new execution methods, though Minnesota does not have the death penalty [2].
A sentencing date has not yet been set for Boelter, who faces life imprisonment on federal charges and pending state-level cases [1, 2].
