Minnesota Man Pleads Guilty in Slaying of State House Speaker and Her Husband

MINNEAPOLIS – pled guilty in federal court to the June 2025 targeted killing of former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman, her husband, Mark, and their dog. Vance Boelter, 58, entered a plea Thursday to federal charges including stalking, murder, and firearms offenses in an agreement that will result in life in prison without parole.

According to the FBI, the attacks that occurred on June 14, 2025, in Champlin and Brooklyn Park, were the result of a well-planned ambush. Disguised as a law enforcement officer and wearing a mask, Boelter first shot and critically wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their Champlin home. About 90 minutes later, Boelter made his way to the Brooklyn Park home of Hortman and her husband, where he shot and killed them both. He was captured by authorities a day later, ending a sprawling, 43-hour, multi-state manhunt.

The assassinations shocked the nation amid a surge of political violence in the United States. Investigators stated Boelter, a man with conservative views, had been stalking his targets for months and his car contained a hit list of other Democratic lawmakers.

In the year since the assassinations, Minnesota’s political culture has changed forever, with lawmakers being forced to remove personal data from websites and authorities installing checkpoints around the State Capitol.

“When you have a defendant prepared to take consecutive life terms to ensure he never sees freedom again, that is an opportunity we could not pass up,” U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen said at a news conference that national media.

Boelter’s guilty plea spared him the federal death penalty. Although this plea addresses the murder of two of Boelter’s targets, he will still face additional attempted murder and law enforcement impersonation charges in state court.