Federal charges filed in deadly attack on Minnesota lawmakers
Authorities have not said whether they will seek the death penalty in the case.
Prosecutors at a news conference disclosed the alleged confession letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel in which Boelter said he carried out the attacks as part of a convoluted plot to punish Gov. Tim Walz, the Democratic vice presidential candidate in the 2024 election.
Boelter was arrested by authorities in Green Isle, Minnesota, after a two-day manhunt.
The shootings sent Minnesota lawmakers reeling, and triggered an outcry of public mourning. Minnesota Sen. Amy Klobuchar, who'd dined with Melissa Hortman just hours before the killing, said the violence should be a wake-up call to address violent political rhetoric. Found inside Boelter's car were notebooks with the names of nearly four dozen elected officials, including Wisconsin Sen. Tammy Baldwin and Michigan Reps. Haley Stevens and Debbie Dingell.
Former President Joe Biden was among those who paid respects as the Hortmans lay in state inside the Minnesota Capitol Rotunda.
'We grieve with the Hortman family and continue to pray for the recovery of the Hoffmans,' Thompson said. 'Today, a grand jury indicted Boelter with the most serious of federal charges for these heinous political assassinations. Let me be clear: Boelter will see justice.'
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