Minnesota House Speaker murder: Suspect Vance Boelter in court today after chilling attack
Vance Luther Boelter, 57, the man accused of murdering Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, is set to appear in court Monday at 1:30 p.m. local time in Minneapolis. He faces four charges—two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder—in what authorities have called a politically motivated attack.
Vance Boelter is being held on a $5 million bond. If convicted, each charge carries a maximum sentence of up to 40 years in prison.
Boelter was arrested following a violent rampage that claimed the lives of the Hortmans and left state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, critically injured. Both are now recovering in hospital.
'He is charged in the cases at this time with the murders of Speaker Hortman and her husband, Mark... and with the shootings of John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman,' said Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension. Evans also confirmed federal authorities are weighing additional charges.
The shooting spree triggered a massive, two-day manhunt—the largest in Minnesota's history. Boelter was located Sunday night in a remote field, armed and crawling on the ground, but surrendered without resistance.
'The suspect crawled to law enforcement teams and was placed under arrest,' said Lieutenant Colonel Jeremy Geiger of the Minnesota State Patrol. 'The suspect was taken into custody without any use of force.'
Minnesota Governor Tim Walz condemned the killings as a 'politically motivated assassination,' adding that Boelter's actions 'altered the state of Minnesota.'
'This cannot be the way we deal with political differences,' Walz said at a press conference. 'Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country.'
He confirmed that Senator Hoffman, who was struck by nine bullets, had come out of surgery and was on the path to recovery.
According to a criminal complaint, Boelter posed as a law enforcement officer—dressed in uniform and driving a Ford SUV outfitted with police-style lights—when he carried out the attacks.
He first targeted the Hoffmans around 2 a.m. Saturday at their home in Champlin, before moving on to the Hortmans' residence in Brooklyn Park, where he fatally shot both victims. When officers arrived, Boelter fled on foot.
Police later found three AK-47 rifles, a 9-mm handgun, and a hit list of other public officials inside his vehicle.
Officials are now focused on uncovering Boelter's motive. Online postings and public records suggest he had ties to evangelical ministries and claimed to have worked in international security roles in Gaza and Africa.
'Now begins the hard work of looking at what the motive is,' said Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley. 'This was an unprecedented manhunt, and now the focus shifts to justice.'
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Hindustan Times
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Vance Boelter had 2 Minnesota lawmakers on hitlist; visited Maple Grove and New Hope homes after shooting
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Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
Prosecutors: Suspect in shooting of Minnesota state lawmakers targeted two others that night
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He is accused of posing as an officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis suburbs. Authorities say he also shot Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, who lived just a few miles away. Federal prosecutors announced Monday that they have charged Boelter, 57, with federal murder, stalking offenses. He already faces state charges, including murder and attempted murder. Boeltner had many notebooks full of plans and made efforts to find the addresses of his victims and their family members, Thompson said. But authorities have not found any writings that would 'clearly identify what motivated him,' he said. Though the targets were Democrats and elected officials, Thompson said it was too soon to speculate on any sort of political ideology that could explain his motives. Authorities declined to name the two other elected officials whom Boelter allegedly stalked but who escaped harm. But it was clear the shootings were politically motivated.'This was a targeted attack against individuals who answered the call to public service,' said Alvin Winston, the special agent in charge of the FBI's Minneapolis field office. The resulting search, he said, was the largest search for a suspect in the history of the state. Boelter's wife consented to a search of her phone by law enforcement, according to an FBI affidavit that cites from a text from Boelter to a family group chat: 'Dad went to war last night … I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody.'His wife got another text that said: 'Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation … there's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don't want you guys around,' the affidavit said. At one point, Boelter bought an electronic bike and a Buick sedan from someone he met at a bus stop in north Minneapolis, the federal affidavit said. Police found the sedan abandoned on a highway Sunday morning. In the car, law enforcement found a cowboy hat Boelter had been seen wearing in surveillance footage as well as a letter written to the FBI, authorities said. The letter said it was written by 'Dr. Vance Luther Boulter' and said he was 'the shooter at large in Minnesota involved in the 2 shootings.'The car was found in rural Sibley County, where Boelter lived, and a police officer reported that he believed he saw Boelter running into the woods. Police called in 20 different tactical teams, divvying up the area to search. During the search, police said they confirmed someone was in the woods and searched for hours, using a helicopter and officers on foot, until they found Boelter. He gave himself up to police, crawling out to officers before he was handcuffed and taken into custody in a field, authorities said. Jail records show Boelter was booked into the Hennepin County Jail early Monday. Drew Evans, superintendent of the state Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, said the violence likely would've continued had Brooklyn Park officers not checked on Hortman's home, causing Boelter to flee. The Hoffmans were attacked first at their home in Champlin early Saturday. A criminal complaint unsealed after Boelter's arrest indicated their adult daughter called 911 to say a masked person had come to the door and shot her parents. After police in nearby Brooklyn Park learned that a lawmaker had been shot, they sent patrol officers to check on the Hortmans' home. Brooklyn Park police officers arrived just in time to see Boelter shoot Mark Hortman through the open door of the home and exchanged gunfire with Boelter, who fled into the home before escaping, the complaint said. Melissa Hortman was found dead inside, according to the document. Authorities said Boelter posed as a police officer, even allegedly altering a vehicle to make it look like a police car. A Minnesota lawmaker said that Hortman's dog had to be euthanized after being shot in the attack. 'Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered, ' Rep. Erin Koegel posted on the social media platform X. 'Gilbert wasn't going to survive. Melissa loved that dog. She trained him as a service dog. He flunked out of school and she was so happy he failed so he could stay!' A list of about 70 names was found in writings recovered from the fake police vehicle at the crime scene, said two law enforcement officials who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to discuss details of the ongoing investigation. The writings and list of names included prominent state and federal lawmakers and community leaders, along with abortion rights advocates and information about health care facilities, according to the officials. A Minnesota official told the AP that lawmakers who had been outspoken in favor of abortion rights were on the list. The official spoke on the condition of anonymity because the investigation was ongoing. Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other. Just hours after the shootings, Boelter texted friends to apologize for his actions, though he didn't say what he had done. 'I'm going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn't gone this way,' he wrote in messages viewed by the AP.
Economic Times
an hour ago
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Suspect in Minnesota lawmakers shooting surrenders, in custody
Live Events (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel BELLE PLAINE(MINNESOTA): The man suspected of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and wounding another crawled to officers in surrender Sunday after they located him in the woods near his home, bringing an end to a massive, nearly two-day search that put the entire state on edge. Vance Boelter was arrested and charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. Jail records show Boelter was scheduled to appear in court Monday is accused of posing as a police officer and fatally shooting former Democratic House speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their home early Saturday in the northern Minneapolis say he also shot senator John Hoffman , a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette. They were injured at their residence about 15 km away."One man's unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota," Democratic governor Tim Walz said at a news conference after Boelter's search for Boelter, 57, was the "largest manhunt in the state's history," Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley said. It began when Brooklyn Park officers went to check on Hortman's home and saw her husband gunned down before the shooter on Sunday located a vehicle Boelter was using abandoned in rural Sibley County, where he lived, and a police officer reported that he believed he saw Boelter running into the woods, Bruley police set up a large perimeter and called in 20 different tactical teams, divvying up the area and searching for him. During the search, police said they received information confirming someone was in the woods and searched for hours, using a helicopter and officers on foot, until they found Boelter. He surrendered to police, crawling out to officers in the woods before he was handcuffed and taken into custody in a field, authorities said.
