Vance Boelter, 57, is in custody, suspected of fatally shooting Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
A two-day manhunt for Boelter, described as the largest in Minnesota’s history, ended with his arrest late on Sunday.
Boelter has been charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two of attempted murder by the state, while federal charges are for firearm offenses, stalking, and murder, potentially making this a death penalty case.
Authorities found “voluminous” written material in Boelter’s car and home, including plans, lists of names, and surveillance efforts targeting elected officials, but no clear manifesto as earlier reports suggested.
Acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson stated that Boelter had a list of 45 Minnesota state and federal elected officials — all Democrats — and had researched them and their families.
Boelter allegedly impersonated a police officer and wore a “hyper-realistic” silicone mask during the shootings, and also went to two other lawmakers’ homes.
Thompson described video evidence of Boelter’s arrival at state Sen. John Hoffman’s home as “truly chilling.”
What you need to know
- Vance Boelter, 57, is in police custody after a nearly two-day manhunt for allegedly shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses.
- Boelter is accused of fatally shooting Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
- Authorities located Boelter’s vehicle with evidence, and he was later arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two of attempted murder.
- According to U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson, Boelter meticulously planned the attacks, researching his victims and conducting surveillance on their homes; he also had a list of 45 Minnesota state and federal elected officials.
- Boelter, described as “very conservative” and opposed to abortion, allegedly impersonated a police officer and wore a silicone mask during the shootings.
- Federal charges include stalking, firearm use, and murder, potentially making it a death penalty case.
- Boelter will appear in court at 1:30 p.m. CT (2:30 p.m. ET).
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 14:36
Trump can’t resist a dig at Gov. Tim Walz when talking about Minnesota lawmaker assassinations
Donald Trump couldn’t resist taking a partisan potshot at Minnesota’s Democratic governor when he responded to a reporter who asked if he’d speak with Tim Walz in the wake of a deadly targeted assassination of a Democratic lawmaker and the attempted politically motivated murder of another in the state.
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 19:00
Hortman family dog ‘euthanized’ after being shot
Gilbert, the Hortman family dog, was “humanely euthanized” after he was shot and injured during the fatal shootings of State Rep Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark.
The Hortmans volunteered with Helping Paws, a non-profit group that trains service dogs for individuals with physical disabilities and veterans living with PTSD.
The organization told CNN that the family became involved in 2014 when their daughter raised a service dog as part of a high school service project. They participated as foster home trainers for two dogs.
In 2021, they began training with Gilbert, a golden retriever, and “after 2.5 years of training and love, Gilbert experienced a ‘career change’ and was adopted by the Hortmans, becoming a cherished family member.”
After being shot on Saturday, four and a half year old Gilbert was “humanely euthanized due to the severity of his injuries.”
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 18:40
Dad who bought Vance Boelter’s home stunned by connection to Minnesota murders
Svendsen, his wife, and their young children now live in Boelter’s former home in Saint Paul, having bought the 6-bed, 3.5-bath property a little over three years ago from the accused political assassin.
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 18:29
‘Too early to tell’ if prosecutors will seek death penalty
“It’s too early to tell” whether federal prosecutors will seek the death penalty, but “it remains one of our options, though,” acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joseph Thompson said at today’s press conference.
He expects federal charges will be handled first, but state charges will remain in place.
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 18:20
Boelter facing six federal charges
Vance Boelter is facing six federal charges:
- Count 1: Stalking of Melissa Hortman – use of interstate facilities
- Count 2: Stalking of John Hoffman- use of interstate facilities
- Count 3: Murder of Melissa Hortman through use of a firearm
- Count 4: Murder of Mark Hortman through use of firearm
- Count 5: Shooting of Melissa and Mark Hortman – firearms offense
- Count 6: Shooting John and Yvette Hoffman – firearms offense
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 18:08
Full story: Minnesota shooting suspect ‘stalked victim like prey’ as feds reveal chilling details of killings and announce charges
Federal prosecutors revealed in a six-count complaint that Vance Boelter has been charged with murder, stalking, and firearms violations. The Acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota, Joe Thompson, said on Monday during a press conference that “It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares.”
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 18:00
No clear ‘manifesto’ but suspect had ‘voluminous’ writings planning attack
While suspect Vance Boelter had “voluminous” written material in planning his attacks, there is no clear “manifesto” as early reports suggested.
“It’s pretty clear from the evidence that he’s been planning these attacks for quite some time,” said acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson at a Monday news conference.
“There’s voluminous writings, as you’ve seen in the reporting, that were found both in his car and his house, about his planning, lists of names and individuals,” Thompson said.
“In his writings, he had many, many notebooks full of plans, lists of names, surveillance efforts that he took to surveil and locate the home addresses and family members, relationships with these elected officials,” he said.
“But I have not seen anything involving some sort of political screed or manifesto that would clearly identify what motivated him,” he continued. “Obviously, his primary motive was to go out and murder people. They were all elected officials. They were all Democrats. Beyond that, I think it’s just way too speculative for anyone that’s reviewed these materials to know and to say what was motivating him in terms of ideology or specific issues.”
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 17:51
‘The stuff of nightmares’
“Boelter planned his attack carefully,” U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said. “He researched his victims and their families. He used the internet and other tools to find their addresses and names, the names of the family members. He conducted surveillance of their homes and took notes about the location of their homes.”
Thompson described the video of Boelter’s arrival at state Sen. John Hoffman’s home as “truly chilling.”
“It’s no exaggeration to say this is the stuff of nightmares,” he said.
Oliver O’Connell16 June 2025 17:41
