Killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman's beloved dog, Gilbert, lays in state with her and her spouse
Killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman 's beloved dog, Gilbert, lay in state with her and her spouse during a public funeral Friday.
Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot by Vance Boelter, a 57-year-old Minnesota man disguised as a police officer, at their Minneapolis -area home in the early morning hours of June 14, according to federal prosecutors.
Gilbert was with his family during the shooting and was badly injured. The golden retriever had to be put down and his ashes were placed beside his owners' coffins at Minnesota's State Capitol Friday.
Its the first time a non-human has been known to lay in state at the Capitol.
Hortman is the first woman to have a funeral at the state Capitol. Minnesota previously granted the honor to 19 men, including a vice president, a secretary of state, senators, governors and a Civil War veteran, according to the Minnesota Legislative Reference Library.
Gilbert has received a flood of tributes alongside Hortman and her husband Mark.
Boelter is also charged over shooting and injuring a prominent Democratic state senator and his wife and authorities say Boelter visited two other Democratic lawmakers' homes without encountering them.
The dog's injuries were severe enough that surviving family members had him put to sleep at a veterinary clinic in the Hortmans' hometown of Brooklyn Park.
The clinic, Allied Emergency Veterinary Service, called Gilbert 'sweet and gentle' and 'deeply loved' on a GoFundMe site raising money for the care of local police dogs.
Hours after the shootings, a nonprofit that trains service dogs, Helping Paws Inc., posted a picture on Facebook of Gilbert with Hortman, both smiling.
The Hortmans provided a foster home to dogs to help train them to be service animals, and one of them, Minnie, had graduated to assisting a veteran.
But Helping Paws said in its post that Gilbert 'eventually career changed."
One of Hortman's fellow lawmakers, Democratic Rep. Erin Koegel, told AP that the golden retriever had 'flunked out of school" and that 'Melissa wanted him to fail so she could keep him.'
Gilbert had been deemed 'too friendly" to be a service dog, KARE-TV reported.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
The Independent
12 minutes ago
- The Independent
Same-sex marriages have doubled in the decade since Supreme Court decision
Same-sex marriages have doubled in the decade since the Supreme Court made the union legal across the country. This week marks 10 years since the Supreme Court ruled in a 5-4 decision that state bans on same-sex marriages violated the Constitution. The ruling stemmed from a case titled Obergefell v. Hodges. Plaintiff Jim Obergefell of Cincinnati, Ohio, had been in a relationship with John Arthur for almost two decades when Arthur was diagnosed with ALS in 2011, The Associated Press reported. It was another Supreme Court decision from 2013, that repealed a law denying federal recognition of same-sex marriages, which allowed Obergefell and Arthur to get married in Maryland. But because of the laws in the couple's home state, their marriage would not be listed on Arthur's death certificate. Arthur died months into their legal battle challenging Ohio's refusal to recognize same-sex marriages on death certificates. The Supreme Court ruled on June 26, 2015, that the right to marry is 'inherent in the liberty of the person' and therefore protected by the Constitution. Now, there are between 820,000 and 930,000 same-sex marriages across the U.S., The Washington Post reported. In 2014, there were 390,000 same-sex marriages around the country in states where the union was legal. The Post analyzed data from Gallup, the Pew Center and the Williams Institute at UCLA Law. A majority of Americans support same-sex marriage. A Gallup poll from May found that 68 percent of people believe same-sex marriages should be recognized by the law as valid, while just 29 percent believe they should not. Still, 32 states still have laws that would ban same-sex marriages if not for the Obergefell ruling, Axios reported, citing the independent think tank Movement Advancement Project. About 60 percent of LGBTQ adults live in states with some type of marriage equality ban. There is also a growing number of voices advocating for the overturning of Obergefell, with Republican lawmakers in several states introducing measures to urge the Supreme Court to end same-sex marriage. Obergefell told NBC News in a recent interview: 'Ten years later, I certainly wasn't expecting to be talking about the threats to marriage equality, the potential for Obergefell to be overturned.' 'Marriage is a right, and it shouldn't depend on where you live,' he argued, adding that he remains hopeful in the fight for marriage equality. 'My husband, John, was a very optimistic person, and he certainly had an impact on me,' Obergefell said. 'I have to be confident that we will prevail.'
Daily Mail
20 minutes ago
- Daily Mail
Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce spark Swiftie fury after posing with 'MAGA' stars: 'Where is her self respect?'
Travis Kelce and Taylor Swift have sparked a meltdown among her fanbase after they were seeing hanging out with the 'MAGA' co-hosts of 'Bussin' With The Boys'. The popular show is presented by former NFL players Will Compton and Taylor Lewan and earlier this week they posted a picture alongside the power couple. 'Confirmed: Taylor Swift is FOR THE BOYS,' they captioned the picture on social media. But the viral image has caused fury among Swifties, one of whom asked: 'Where the f*** is her self respect?' Donald Trump appeared on 'Bussin With The Boys' ahead of last year's election and the ex-NFL stars were even given a shoutout during his victory celebrations. Dana White namechecked the podcast for helping propel Trump to victory over Kamala Harris. Back in 2023, Compton and Lewan were also seen shaking hands with the president at a UFC event. Now, Swift's decision to be pictured with the co-hosts has prompted a furious reaction on social media. 'You are who you surround yourself with,' one Swiftie wrote, while another accused the singer of having 'zero self respect.' 'When ICE is abducting people from the streets , this is who she chooses to align herself with,' they said. 'Show me who your friends are and I'll tell you who you are,' added another. Swift publicly endorsed Harris ahead of last year's election, while Trump has made clear his dislike for the singer. 'I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!' he wrote on social media last year before attacking her again in recent weeks. 'Has anyone noticed that, since I said "I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT," she's no longer "HOT?"' the president wrote. Those comments have not been forgotten by her fans in the light of her picture with 'Bussin With The Boys'. 'The fact that she still associates with people who are MAGA when Trump himself has personally attacked her…. where the f*** is her self respect,' one asked. 'Imagine being rich enough to make the world a slightly better place... then actively choosing to surround yourself with these thugs instead,' another added. 'What a waste.' Swift and Kelce have been together in Nashville over recent days, with the Chiefs star been hosting his annual 'Tight End University'. The singer even performed during the event, sending fans wild with a rendition of 'Shake It Off'. San Francisco 49ers star George Kittle, who hosts the event with Kelce, lifted the lid on her surprise cameo. 'Taylor could not have been kinder, more nice, and she was like, "I think it might be fun to go sing 'Shake It Off'". And we were like, "It'd be amazing. Twist my arm, Taylor, please,"' he said. Speaking to Fox News Digital , Kittle added: 'She was fantastic. For the venue that, I think, it was maybe 1,000 people, that was the loudest 1,000 people I've ever heard in my entire life. It was an incredible experience.'
The Independent
32 minutes ago
- The Independent
Jury set to begin deliberating in Sean ‘Diddy' Combs' sex trafficking trial. Here's what to know
For seven weeks, a jury in Manhattan has listened as prosecutors laid out a criminal sex trafficking and racketeering case against rapper Sean 'Diddy' Combs. They heard his ex-girlfriends and other witnesses deliver shocking accounts of violence and drug-fueled sexual marathons. On Monday, jurors are set to begin deliberating, ultimately deciding whether Combs was running a criminal enterprise, as the government says, or — as his lawyer insists — merely living a swinger lifestyle that included recreational drug use and, regrettably, domestic violence. The answer will determine the future of one of the biggest music moguls and cultural figures of the past four decades. If convicted, Combs, 55, would face 15 years to life in prison. Here's what to know about the case: What are the charges? The three-time Grammy Award winner has pleaded not guilty to five felony charges: one count of racketeering conspiracy; two counts of sex trafficking by force, fraud or coercion; and two counts of transportation to engage in prostitution. Prosecutors say Combs coerced women into abusive sex parties involving hired male sex workers, ensured their compliance with drugs like cocaine and threats to their careers, and silenced victims through blackmail and violence that included kidnapping, arson and beatings. 'He's the leader of a criminal enterprise. He doesn't take no for an answer," Assistant U.S. Attorney Christy Slavik said in her closing arguments on Thursday. Combs' lawyer, Marc Agnifilo, portrayed the Bad Boys Records founder as the victim of overzealous prosecutors who exaggerated elements of his lifestyle and recreational drug use to bring charges that resulted in what he called a 'fake trial.' What is racketeering? The most serious charge, racketeering conspiracy, alleges that Combs ran a criminal enterprise for two decades that relied on bodyguards, household staff, personal assistants and others in his orbit to facilitate and cover up crimes. Federal prosecutors brought the charge under the Racketeer Influenced and Corrupt Organizations Act, or RICO. Congress passed the federal law in 1970 with the declared purpose of targeting organized crime, but its use has been more widespread. To prove the charge, prosecutors must show that an enterprise existed and was involved in a pattern of racketeering activity. In this case, that alleged activity includes kidnapping, arson, bribery and sex trafficking. Key pieces of evidence Early in the trial, prosecutors showed jurors 2016 security video of Combs beating and kicking his former longtime girlfriend Cassie at a Los Angeles hotel. Cassie, an R&B singer whose legal name is Casandra Ventura, testified the assault took place as she was trying to leave one of the sexual encounters, which witnesses say he referred to as 'freak-offs" or 'hotel nights.' Jurors saw numerous explicit clips of such encounters, some involving Cassie and others involving a later girlfriend who was identified only by the the pseudonym ' Jane.' Both women took the stand. Cassie testified over four days that she participated in hundreds of the events with paid sex workers while she and Combs were in a relationship from 2007 until 2018, often feeling like she didn't have a choice. She sued Combs in 2023, alleging years of abuse. He settled within hours, and dozens of similar lawsuits followed. Jane testified over six days that she was romantically involved with Combs from 2021 until his September arrest at a New York hotel, and that she, too, felt forced to have sex with the hired strangers in multiday sex marathons while Combs watched. The Associated Press doesn't generally identify people who say they are victims of sexual abuse unless they come forward publicly, as Cassie has done. Testimony also included hours of text message exchanges, some of which involved Combs or other people in his orbit, that were read aloud by a Homeland Security Investigations agent. In all, 34 people took the stand, all of them called by the prosecution. Combs did not testify. How will jury deliberations work? Judge Arun Subramanian will give instructions to the jurors on Monday before sending them off to deliberate inside the Manhattan federal courthouse. The jury of 8 men and 4 women must unanimously decide guilty or not guilty on each count. That means all 12 jurors must agree. If jurors don't reach an agreement, they could come back and say they are deadlocked. Traditionally, the judge would then encourage them to continue deliberating, but if they can't reach a consensus, it would be up to the judge to decide whether to declare a mistrial.
