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New York Times
15-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Times
Federal Grand Jury Indicts Suspect in Killing of Minnesota Lawmaker
A federal grand jury in Minnesota indicted a man on murder and stalking charges in the assassination of State Representative Melissa Hortman and the killing of her husband, Mark Hortman, officials announced on Tuesday. The defendant, Vance Boelter, had already been charged by federal prosecutors with many of the same crimes in a criminal complaint. The indictment supersedes those charges, and is an important step in the process of bringing Mr. Boelter to trial. If convicted of murder in federal court, Mr. Boelter could face the death penalty. Prosecutors have not said whether they would seek that punishment, though they kept that option open on Tuesday by including a notice of special findings in the indictment, said Joseph H. Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney in Minnesota. He said the final decision on whether to seek the death penalty would be made later by Attorney General Pam Bondi. Mr. Boelter is also charged with murder in state court. In addition to the deaths of the Hortmans, Mr. Boelter is accused of shooting and wounding State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, before dawn on the same day last month. Mr. Hoffman, who was hospitalized, moved to a rehabilitation facility last week. Federal prosecutors said Mr. Boelter was impersonating a police officer on June 14 when he went to the suburban Minneapolis homes of the two lawmakers, both Democrats, and shot them and their spouses. He visited the homes of two more Democratic lawmakers as well, federal prosecutors said, and he had a list of other Democratic politicians in his S.U.V., which resembled a police cruiser. Mr. Boelter abandoned his vehicle and fled after encountering police officers at the Hortmans' home, officials said. A two-day manhunt that was described as the largest in Minnesota's history. led to his arrest in a rural area near his home in Sibley County. The attacks in Minnesota came at a time of rising political violence in the United States. Officials in some states have promised to take a closer look at the safety of state legislators, who generally have no special security protection and whose home addresses are often posted on government websites and official documents. Ms. Hortman, a former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, was remembered by colleagues as a thoughtful lawmaker who was willing to work across party lines. When her party had full control of state government in 2023 and 2024, she helped pass bills that expanded abortion rights, legalized recreational marijuana and required employers to provide medical and family leave. Mr. Hortman, who worked for an electrical manufacturing company, was recalled by friends as an enthusiastic and supportive political spouse with a sense of humor and an interest in sports. Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr., former Vice President Kamala Harris and Gov. Tim Walz of Minnesota were among the officials who attended the Hortmans' funeral in June. Julie Bosman contributed reporting.
CTV News
15-07-2025
- Politics
- CTV News
Federal grand jury indicts man accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman
A picture of Mark and Melissa Hortman is shown at the Basilica of St. Mary's during funeral services for the couple in Minneapolis, Minn., on June 28, 2025. (Alex Kormann / Star Tribune via AP, Pool) MINNEAPOLIS — A federal grand jury indicted a Minnesota man Tuesday on charges that he fatally shot a prominent Minnesota state representative and her husband and seriously wounded a state senator and his wife while he was allegedly disguised as a police officer. The indictment handed up lists murder, stalking and firearms charges against Vance Boelter. The murder counts in the deaths of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, could carry the federal death penalty. The chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota has called the killings a political assassination. Prosecutors initially charged Boelter in a complaint with six counts, including murder, stalking and firearms offenses. But under federal court rules they needed a grand jury indictment to take the case to trial. Prosecutors say Boelter, 57, was driving a fake squad car, wearing a realistic rubber mask that covered his head and wearing tactical gear around 2 a.m. on June 14 when he went to the home of Sen. John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in the Minneapolis suburb of Champlin. He allegedly shot the senator nine times, and Yvette Hoffman eight times, but they survived. Prosecutors allege he then stopped at the homes of two other lawmakers. One, in Maple Grove, wasn't home while a police officer may have scared him off from the second, in New Hope. Boelter then allegedly went to the Hortmans' home in nearby Brooklyn Park and killed both of them. Their dog was so gravely injured that he had to be euthanized. Brooklyn Park police, who had been alerted to the shootings of the Hoffmans, arrived at the Hortman home around 3:30 a.m., moments before the gunman opened fire on the couple, the complaint said. Boelter allegedly fled and left behind his car, which contained notebooks listing dozens of Democratic officials as potential targets with their home addresses, as well as five guns and a large quantity of ammunition. Law enforcement officers finally captured Boelter about 40 hours later, about a mile (1.6 kilometres) from his rural home in Green Isle, after what authorities called the largest search for a suspect in Minnesota history. Sen. Hoffman is out of the hospital and is now at a rehabilitation facility, his family announced last week, adding he has a long road to recovery. Yvette Hoffman was released a few days after the attack. Former President Joe Biden visited the senator in the hospital when he was in town for the Hortmans' funeral. Friends have described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views who had been struggling to find work. At a hearing July 3, Boelter said he was 'looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out.' In an interview published by the New York Post on Saturday, Boelter insisted the shootings had nothing to do with his opposition to abortion or his support for President Donald Trump, but he declined to discuss why he allegedly killed the Hortmans and wounded the Hoffmans. 'You are fishing and I can't talk about my case…I'll say it didn't involve either the Trump stuff or pro life,' Boelter wrote in a message to the newspaper via the jail's messaging system. It ultimately will be up to Attorney General Pam Bondi, in consultation with the local U.S. attorney's office, to decide whether to seek the federal death penalty. Minnesota abolished its state death penalty in 1911. But the Trump administration says it intends to be aggressive in seeking capital punishment for eligible federal crimes. Boelter also faces state murder and attempted murder charges in Hennepin County, but the federal case will go first. Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris joined mourners at the Hortmans' funeral June 28. Gov. Tim Walz, Harris's running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, eulogized Melissa Hortman as 'the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.' Hortman led the House from 2019 until January and was a driving force as Democrats passed an ambitious list of liberal priorities in 2023. She yielded the speakership to a Republican in a power-sharing deal after the November elections left the House tied, and she took the title speaker emerita. Steve Karnowski, The Associated Press
Yahoo
12-07-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Children of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman: ‘We are devastated'
The children of late Minnesota state Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (D), who was fatally shot over the weekend along with her husband Mark, acknowledged the death of their parents in a statement Monday. 'We are devastated and heartbroken at the loss of our parents, Melissa and Mark. They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone,' Sophie and Colin Hortman wrote. 'Their love for us was boundless,' they added. 'We miss them so much.' The Hortmans and state Sen. John Hoffman (D) and his wife Yvette were the victims of a shooting on Saturday by a man impersonating a law enforcement officer. The Hoffmans were rushed to the hospital and after surgeries are expected to survive. The case is being investigated as 'politically motived.' The FBI and Justice Department are leading a probe into the violent incident. Vance Boelter, the suspected gunman, was apprehended Sunday and indicted in the state on stalking and murder charges. He was also hit with a federal murder charge earlier this week. A list of other potential targets was also found in Boelter's car, including lawmakers and other top officials. 'Our family would like to thank law enforcement for their swift action that saved others and for the coordination across communities that led to the arrest of the man who murdered our parents,' the Hortman children wrote. 'We especially would like to thank the officers who were first on the scene to our parents' home and their heroic attempts to rescue our mom and dad.' 'Our parents touched so many lives, and they leave behind an incredible legacy of dedication to their community that will live on in us, their friends, their colleagues and co-workers, and every single person who knew and loved them,' they added in the statement. Hortman worked alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) during his tenure in the State Legislature. The two were elected officials for the North Star State's Farmer Labor Party. Walz has condemned the attacker for targeting Democratic lawmakers amid a partisan divide nationwide. Others, from both sides of the aisle, have also weighed in on the tragedy. Hortman's children said they best way for her legacy to live on is for people to unite. 'Hope and resilience are the enemy of fear. Our parents lived their lives with immense dedication to their fellow humans. This tragedy must become a moment for us to come together. Hold your loved ones a little closer,' they wrote. 'Love your neighbors. Treat each other with kindness and respect.' 'The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else,' the duo wrote. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Yahoo
Hoffman family issues statement following Melissa and Mark Hortman funeral
Hoffman family issues statement following Melissa and Mark Hortman funeral originally appeared on Bring Me The News. The Hoffman family, who were attacked by the same gunman on the night that Melissa and Mark Hortman were assassinated, have issued a statement following Saturday's emotional funeral for the late couple. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were both shot multiple times at their home in Champlin, with the attack allegedly carried out by Vance Boelter, who is accused of then fatally shooting Rep. Hortman and husband Mark in Brooklyn Park. An estimates 1,500 people attended the Hortmans' funeral at the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis on Saturday, with many thousands more tuning in online and on TV. A day earlier, they were laid in state at the Minnesota Capitol, with former President Joe Biden among those who paid their respects. The Hoffmans, whose daughter Hope was also lined up at gunpoint on the night of the attack, said the service for the Hortmans was "heartbreakingly beautiful." "We are devastated by the loss of Melissa, Mark, and their dog, Gilbert. Their tragic passing has left a profound sadness for all who knew them and whose lives they touched," they said. "To all of you who went to the State Capitol to pay your respects to Melissa, Mark and Gilbert, we want you to know we were there with you in spirit." Authorities believe that Boelter went to two other Democratic lawmakers' homes, those of Sen. Ann Rest and Rep. Kristin Bahner, in between the attacks he allegedly carried out at the Hoffman and Hortman homes. "We're continuing to recover from physical injuries and emotional trauma from this senseless act of violence. All of us are now in stable condition but face a long road ahead," the Hoffmans continued. "Hope's bruises from the attack continue to heal. We're so grateful she happened to be at our house that night. There's no doubt her call to 911 saved the lives of others. "We know justice will be served for both of our families as the legal process gets underway. Right now, our focus is on healing and honoring the lives that were taken." This story was originally reported by Bring Me The News on Jun 29, 2025, where it first appeared.
Washington Post
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Washington Post
Tim Walz bids farewell to slain Minnesota lawmaker
National Tim Walz bids farewell to slain Minnesota lawmaker June 29, 2025 | 10:16 AM GMT Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D) delivered the eulogy at the funeral of slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, on June 28.
