Political attack suspect planned to ‘inflict fear' with wider killing spree, prosecutors say
Minneapolis: The man accused of killing a Minnesota politician and wounding another in a campaign to 'inflict fear' made a first appearance in federal court on Monday, as authorities described what they said were plans to carry out a wider killing spree aimed at Democratic lawmakers.
Minnesota's acting US attorney, Joseph Thompson, said he could seek the death penalty for the man, Vance Boelter, 57, but added that no decision had been made. Boelter was captured on Sunday (Monday AEST) after what officials described as the largest manhunt in state history.
During a brief appearance in federal court in St Paul, Boelter, wearing a stern expression, did not enter a plea to charges that included stalking and murder with a firearm. A judge appointed him a public defender because he said he could not afford his own lawyer. He is due back in court on June 27.
Boelter is also facing charges of second-degree murder in state court, although Hennepin County prosecutors said they planned to seek an indictment charging him with first-degree murder, which is punishable by life in prison without parole. In Minnesota, first-degree murder charges require an indictment by a grand jury.
Thompson described the shootings as 'the stuff of nightmares'.
'Political assassinations are rare,' he said at a news conference on Monday (Tuesday AEST). 'They strike at the very core of our democracy, but the details of Boelter's crimes are even worse. They are truly chilling.'
Early on Saturday (Sunday AEST), prosecutors say, Boelter, a father of five who had worked in the food and funeral industries, disguised himself as a police officer and drove a black SUV with flashing lights and a licence plate that read 'POLICE' to the homes of four state politicians in suburban Minneapolis.
Wearing body armour and a gold badge, and carrying a flashlight and a handgun, he shot and seriously injured state Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in their home in Champlin, Minnesota. Their daughter then called 911.
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