Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman to lie in state as suspect faces court date
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman will lie in state in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda on Friday while the man charged with killing her and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, is due in court.
Hortman, a Democrat, will be the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans accorded the honor. She will lie in state with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert. Her husband was also killed in the June 14 attack, and Gilbert was seriously wounded and had to be euthanized.
The public can pay their respects from noon to 5 p.m. Friday. House TV will livestream the viewing. A private funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The service will be livestreamed on the Department of Public Safety's YouTube channel.
The criminal case proceeds
The man accused of killing the Hortmans and wounding another Democratic lawmaker and his wife is due in court at 11 a.m. Friday to face charges for what the chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota has called 'a political assassination.' Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, surrendered near his home the night of June 15 after what authorities have called the largest search in Minnesota history.
The hearing, before Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko, is expected to address whether Boelter should remain in custody without bail and affirm that there is probable cause to proceed. He is not expected to enter a plea. Prosecutors need to secure a grand jury indictment before he's arraigned later, which is when a plea is normally entered.
According to the federal complaint, police video shows Boelter outside the Hortmans' home and captures the sound of gunfire. And it says security video shows Boelter approaching the front doors of two other lawmakers' homes dressed as a police officer.
His lawyers have declined to comment on the charges, which could carry the federal death penalty. The acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Joseph Thompson, said last week that no decision has been made. Minnesota abolished its death penalty in 1911. The Death Penalty Information Center says a federal death penalty case hasn't been prosecuted in Minnesota in the modern era, as best as it can tell.
Boelter also faces separate murder and attempted murder charges in state court that could carry life without parole, assuming that county prosecutors get their own indictment for first-degree murder. But federal authorities intend to use their power to try Boelter first.
Other victims and alleged targets
Authorities say Boelter shot and wounded Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin before shooting and killing the Hortmans in their home in the northern Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, a few miles away.
Federal prosecutors allege Boelter also stopped at the homes of two other Democratic lawmakers. Prosecutors also say he listed dozens of other Democrats as potential targets, including officials in other states. Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views. But prosecutors have declined so far to speculate on a motive.
Boelter's wife speaks out
Boelter's wife, Jenny, issued a statement through her own lawyers Thursday saying she and her children are 'absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided,' and expressing sympathy for the Hortman and Hoffman families. She is not in custody and has not been charged.
'This violence does not align at all with our beliefs as a family,' her statement said. 'It is a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith. We are appalled and horrified by what occurred and our hearts are incredibly heavy for the victims of this unfathomable tragedy.'
An FBI agent's affidavit described the Boelters as 'preppers,' people who prepare for major or catastrophic incidents. Investigators seized 48 guns from his home, according to search warrant documents.
While the FBI agent's affidavit said law enforcement stopped Boelter's wife as she traveled with her four children north of the Twin Cities in Onamia on the day of the shootings, she said in her statement that she was not pulled over. She said that after she got a call from authorities, she immediately drove to meet them at a nearby gas station and has fully cooperated with investigators.
'We thank law enforcement for apprehending Vance and protecting others from further harm,' she said.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CNN
14 minutes ago
- CNN
Migrant family sues over US detention in what may be first challenge to courthouse arrests involving kids
ImmigrationFacebookTweetLink Follow A mother and her two young kids are fighting for their release from a Texas immigration detention center in what is believed to be the first lawsuit involving children challenging the Trump administration's policy on immigrant arrests at courthouses. The lawsuit filed Tuesday argues that the family's arrests after fleeing Honduras and entering the US legally using a Biden-era appointment app violate their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizure and their Fifth Amendment right to due process. 'The big picture is that the executive branch cannot seize people, arrest people, detain people indefinitely when they are complying with exactly what our government has required of them,' said Columbia Law School professor Elora Mukherjee, one of the lawyers representing the family. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Starting in May, the country has seen large-scale arrests in which asylum-seekers appearing at routine court hearings have been arrested outside courtrooms as part of the White House's mass deportation effort. In many cases, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings and then US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will arrest the person and place them on 'expedited removal,' a fast track to deportation. Mukherjee said this is the first lawsuit filed on behalf of children to challenge the ICE courthouse arrest policy. The government has until July 1 to respond. There have been other similar lawsuits, including in New York, where a federal judge ruled earlier this month that federal immigration authorities can't make civil arrests at the state's courthouses or arrest anyone going there for a proceeding. The Texas lawsuit was filed using initials for the children and 'Ms. Z' for the mother. Their identities have not been released because of concerns for their safety. For weeks in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the mother has watched her 6-year-old son's health decline, Mukherjee said. He recently underwent chemotherapy treatment for leukemia and because of his arrest missed his check-in doctor's appointment, Mukherjee said. 'He's easily bruising. He has bone pain. He looks pale,' Mukherjee said, adding that he has also lost his appetite. 'His mom is terrified that these are symptoms that his leukemia situation might be deteriorating.' The mother, son and 9-year-old daughter fled Honduras in October 2024 due to death threats, according to the lawsuit. They entered the US using the CBP One app and were paroled into the country by the Department of Homeland Security, which determined they didn't pose a danger to the community, Mukherjee said. They were told to appear at a Los Angeles immigration court May 29. President Donald Trump ended CBP One for new entrants on his first day in office after more than 900,000 people had been allowed in the country using the app since it was expanded to include migrants in January 2023. During the family's hearing, the mother tried to tell the judge that they wished to continue their cases for asylum, Mukherjee said. Homeland Security moved to dismiss their cases, and the judge immediately granted that motion. When they stepped out of the courtroom, they found men in civilian clothing believed to be ICE agents who arrested the family, Mukherjee said. They spent about 11 hours at an immigrant processing center in Los Angeles and were each only given an apple, a small packet of cookies, a juice box and water. At one point, an officer near the boy lifted his shirt, revealing his gun. The boy urinated on himself and was left in wet clothing until the next morning, Mukherjee said. They were later taken to the processing center, where they have been held ever since. 'The family is suffering in this immigration detention center,' she said. 'The kids are crying every night. They're praying to God for their release from this detention center.' Their lawyers have filed an appeal of the immigration judge's May decision, but they're at risk of being deported within days because the government says they are subjected to expedited removal, Mukherjee said. The arrests of the family were illegal and unjustified, said Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights project who is also representing the family. 'The essential question in our case is, when you have these families who are doing everything right, especially with young children, should there be some protection there?' Gibson Kumar said. 'We say 'yes.''
CNN
16 minutes ago
- CNN
Migrant family sues over US detention in what may be first challenge to courthouse arrests involving kids
A mother and her two young kids are fighting for their release from a Texas immigration detention center in what is believed to be the first lawsuit involving children challenging the Trump administration's policy on immigrant arrests at courthouses. The lawsuit filed Tuesday argues that the family's arrests after fleeing Honduras and entering the US legally using a Biden-era appointment app violate their Fourth Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizure and their Fifth Amendment right to due process. 'The big picture is that the executive branch cannot seize people, arrest people, detain people indefinitely when they are complying with exactly what our government has required of them,' said Columbia Law School professor Elora Mukherjee, one of the lawyers representing the family. The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to an email requesting comment. Starting in May, the country has seen large-scale arrests in which asylum-seekers appearing at routine court hearings have been arrested outside courtrooms as part of the White House's mass deportation effort. In many cases, a judge will grant a government lawyer's request to dismiss deportation proceedings and then US Immigration and Customs Enforcement officers will arrest the person and place them on 'expedited removal,' a fast track to deportation. Mukherjee said this is the first lawsuit filed on behalf of children to challenge the ICE courthouse arrest policy. The government has until July 1 to respond. There have been other similar lawsuits, including in New York, where a federal judge ruled earlier this month that federal immigration authorities can't make civil arrests at the state's courthouses or arrest anyone going there for a proceeding. The Texas lawsuit was filed using initials for the children and 'Ms. Z' for the mother. Their identities have not been released because of concerns for their safety. For weeks in the Dilley Immigration Processing Center, the mother has watched her 6-year-old son's health decline, Mukherjee said. He recently underwent chemotherapy treatment for leukemia and because of his arrest missed his check-in doctor's appointment, Mukherjee said. 'He's easily bruising. He has bone pain. He looks pale,' Mukherjee said, adding that he has also lost his appetite. 'His mom is terrified that these are symptoms that his leukemia situation might be deteriorating.' The mother, son and 9-year-old daughter fled Honduras in October 2024 due to death threats, according to the lawsuit. They entered the US using the CBP One app and were paroled into the country by the Department of Homeland Security, which determined they didn't pose a danger to the community, Mukherjee said. They were told to appear at a Los Angeles immigration court May 29. President Donald Trump ended CBP One for new entrants on his first day in office after more than 900,000 people had been allowed in the country using the app since it was expanded to include migrants in January 2023. During the family's hearing, the mother tried to tell the judge that they wished to continue their cases for asylum, Mukherjee said. Homeland Security moved to dismiss their cases, and the judge immediately granted that motion. When they stepped out of the courtroom, they found men in civilian clothing believed to be ICE agents who arrested the family, Mukherjee said. They spent about 11 hours at an immigrant processing center in Los Angeles and were each only given an apple, a small packet of cookies, a juice box and water. At one point, an officer near the boy lifted his shirt, revealing his gun. The boy urinated on himself and was left in wet clothing until the next morning, Mukherjee said. They were later taken to the processing center, where they have been held ever since. 'The family is suffering in this immigration detention center,' she said. 'The kids are crying every night. They're praying to God for their release from this detention center.' Their lawyers have filed an appeal of the immigration judge's May decision, but they're at risk of being deported within days because the government says they are subjected to expedited removal, Mukherjee said. The arrests of the family were illegal and unjustified, said Kate Gibson Kumar, an attorney for the Texas Civil Rights project who is also representing the family. 'The essential question in our case is, when you have these families who are doing everything right, especially with young children, should there be some protection there?' Gibson Kumar said. 'We say 'yes.''
CNN
17 minutes ago
- CNN
‘We're still here. We're still going to enjoy our game': What it's like being a trans sports fan in Trump's second term
The first six months of Donald Trump's second term as president of the United States have been defined by sweeping executive orders and the introduction of legislation that takes aim at some of America's most marginalized communities. In particular, transgender people living in the US have been a target of the Trump administration's ire. Several actions have been taken to prevent trans people from participating in public life, from banning transgender Americans from serving in the military to an executive order that bans transgender women from competing in women's sports. Trans athletes, especially, have been in the crosshairs of the Trump administration over the last few months. There have been threats to California's federal funding over the participation of a trans high school junior in state track and field championships and in March, the White House cut off $175 million in federal funds for the University of Pennsylvania related to the trans athlete issue. As the US gears up to be one of three countries hosting the 2026 FIFA World Cup next June – the first on American soil since 1994 – the spotlight is turning towards its sporting scene. And as the attention of the world's sports media shifts to the US, a number of athletes and soccer fans, including many trans people themselves, are raising the alarm over the attacks on trans rights. Some want to use the upcoming World Cup – the largest international soccer tournament there is and arguably the most popular global event, sporting or otherwise – to show the world that the trans community in the US takes care of one another, refusing to disappear even as the Trump administration attempts to make life difficult for them. Many just want trans people to have the right to play and enjoy sports as freely as anyone else. Liam Taylor is a season ticket holder of MLS franchise the Colorado Rapids, an overseas fan of English club Tottenham Hotspur, and a former high school powerlifting champion. He is also a trans man who was immensely looking forward to a World Cup in his home nation – but not anymore. 'My wife and I are so into the World Cup, we usually keep a track of every game in the competition. We were so excited for it to be here, where we live. But honestly, now, it doesn't feel safe to travel to certain parts of the US, so we won't be spending our money on that anymore,' Taylor told CNN Sports. Taylor says he largely feels safe as a trans man living in the Centennial State with a supportive community around him, but he used to live in Dallas, Texas – a decidedly Republican state. 'Some of my friends in Dallas are bracing for a more hostile environment towards LGBTQ+ people. And not just in Texas but across the South, really,' Taylor said. One of the reasons Taylor left the Lone Star State is that it was starting to become more and more difficult for him to access the hormones he needed. He is no stranger to experiencing discrimination towards the trans community but sports and, in particular, soccer have often been his solace. He's happy that his beloved Colorado Rapids still hosted its designated Pride night, despite the ongoing exclusion towards transpeople in sports that the Trump administration is fostering, but he told CNN Sports that he is struggling to put an optimistic spin on the current political climate. 'It's scary to think that a percentage of your neighbors really hate you. I try not to be a pessimist, but it's difficult not to get down about it all right now,' he said. 'There's a huge hypocrisy amongst conservatives and the Trump administration, who say we should 'Keep politics out of sport' – but they're doing something political by pushing (queer and trans) people out of sport!' Referring to Trump's executive order to ban trans women from sports, Taylor made the point that the practice is not only harmful to trans athletes but to cisgender ones, too. 'The Trump administration says that they're doing this, banning trans players, to 'protect women and girls,' but who are we protecting when the privacy of athletes is being violated because of enforced (sex) checks?' said Taylor. 'How exactly authorities in schools, colleges and sporting institutions are going to 'check' someone is or isn't trans is incredibly unclear and could potentially be very invasive.' Taylor is deeply concerned that the Trump administration's anti-trans policies are going to encourage hostility towards trans people at sporting events and other public gatherings. He reflected on the transphobia that he himself experienced, particularly while he was transitioning, and told CNN Sports that he fears an uptick in the same kind of behavior in the new America being shaped by Trump. 'In 2016, back in Texas, I was followed into bathrooms, some guys tried to fight me at a truck stop, and it wasn't safe to be there anymore,' Taylor said. 'I'm seeing that kind of thing happen now, to other trans folks, more and more. I'm trying now to do what I can with my passing privilege – going to protests on behalf of people that want to go but don't feel safe to do so, donating specifically to LGBTQ+ charities.' Despite the fears around the discrimination against trans athletes and sports fans right now, Taylor does find comfort in the community he's found in soccer and in the Colorado Rapids fanbase. 'We won't be skipping any home games this season. Our friends are there, and we'll be there, all of us, to support each other while all this is going down under Trump,' he said. Almost 1,000 miles away in Los Angeles, Taylor Gray has also found a family in the soccer club LAFC and, in particular, its LGBTQ+ supporters' group – LAFC Pride Republic. 'Joining LAFC Pride Republic felt like coming home,' Gray, who is a trans man, told CNN Sports. Until he joined the supporters' group, Gray said he had never met another trans person. LAFC Pride Republic has become so important to Gray's life that he even proposed to his husband on the pitch at LAFC's BMO Stadium. As the Trump administration moves to roll back trans inclusion in sports, Gray has found that the feeling amongst his friends at Pride Republic is one of resilience. 'Every time I go to a game at the moment, people are constantly discussing how we can be louder, how to be more visible, how to show that we aren't going anywhere regardless of what this government is trying to do,' he said. 'We want to inspire other soccer teams and supporters' groups who don't know what to do right now. We want to show that it's important to say we're still here, we're still going to enjoy our game and we're still going to be visibly trans.' Amid a changing political landscape, LAFC and the American soccer community have been preparing for increased international attention as the FIFA Club World Cup continues across the US in advance of next year's World Cup. LAFC competed in the tournament group stage and Gray hopes that soccer fans traveling to the States will see that there are people who don't support the policies of the Trump administration and, instead, will fervently defend the rights of marginalized communities. 'For every jerk you might meet in the US, there are 10 people here that will love you regardless of your gender identity or sexuality,' Gray said. 'We can't let the good work that people are doing to provide support to their communities fall to the side. It's so important to uplift the folks that are looking out for those that are being excluded right now.' As many institutions, companies and corporations across the US rescind their diversity, equity and inclusion (DEI) policies in the wake of the Trump administration's push to end these initiatives, Gray is proud that LAFC and Pride Republic are standing firm in their values. 'Despite everything else around us, Pride Republic is not changing what its goals are – which is to make sure that soccer is a sport that welcomes everyone. Inclusivity is an incredibly important word for Pride Republic and that isn't going away.' Soccer, and particularly men's soccer, does not always feel like a welcoming space for LGBTQ+ people. In France's top division, Ligue 1, two high profile players were recently given bans for concealing the anti-homophobia badge on their club's shirts. Homophobic chanting continues to be an issue across European soccer. The beautiful game has all too often been marred by unsavory incidents of bigotry. But what Gray has found at LAFC Pride Republic and what Taylor has found amongst his friends in the Colorado Rapids' fanbase stand in opposition to what has been seen before in soccer and in the Trump administration's rhetoric. In the communities that the two have discovered, soccer is for everyone and anyone is welcome to share in the joy and the anguish of the game. Both men say they have found a home in the stands of their respective clubs. As the Trump administration shows no signs of slowing down its attempts to exclude trans people from competing in sports, communities across the United States are fighting back to show that they won't be silenced or made to feel invisible – and they aren't planning to give up.
