Vance Luther Boelter
Pleaded guilty to the June 2025 shootings of Minnesota legislators Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman and their spouses; sentenced to life in federal prison
Biography
Vance Luther Boelter shot four people at two Minnesota legislators’ homes in the early hours of June 14, 2025. Melissa Hortman, the former Speaker of the Minnesota House, and her husband Mark were killed in Brooklyn Park; State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were wounded in Champlin. He pleaded guilty to six federal counts on June 11, 2026, and on July 23, 2026 was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus a consecutive 40-year term. Federal officials described the case as political violence directed at elected officials.
Background
The U.S. Attorney’s Office gave Boelter’s age as 57 and his residence as Green Isle, Minnesota, when he was charged. PolitiFact reported that a security company website listed him as director of security patrols at Praetorian Guard Security Services.
Boelter served on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board, a state advisory body. According to PolitiFact, Governor Mark Dayton appointed him as a private-sector representative, Governor Tim Walz reappointed him as a business member on December 9, 2019, and his term expired on January 2, 2023. A Walz spokesperson said the governor’s office appoints thousands of people of all political affiliations to such boards and that Walz had no relationship with Boelter.
Preparation
The FBI affidavit supporting the federal complaint says Boelter compiled lists of the names and home addresses of many Minnesota public officials, “mostly or all Democrats.” Notebooks recovered from his vehicle named more than 45 Minnesota state and federal public officials, and one listed internet people-search services such as Spokeo, Whitepages and Truthfinder. Another notebook, found at a north Minneapolis residence whose occupant told investigators Boelter shared it at least part-time, recorded the Hortmans’ address with the note “Big house off golf course 2 ways in to watch from one spot.”
The affidavit also records notes listing websites that sell hyper-realistic silicone masks, and a Fleet Farm receipt dated about June 9, 2025 for a flashlight, a tactical rifle case, ammunition and materials investigators believed were used to make a fake “POLICE” licence plate.
June 14–15, 2025
According to the affidavit, Boelter drove a black 2015 Ford Explorer fitted with police-style lights to the Hoffman home in Champlin. Wearing a tactical vest and a flesh-colored mask covering his whole head, he knocked and shouted, “This is the police. Open the door.” When the Hoffmans realized he was masked and said he was not a police officer, he shot both of them repeatedly. Their daughter called 911 at about 2:06 a.m. The federal indictment also charged the attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman.
At about 2:24 a.m. he rang the doorbell at the Maple Grove home of a second official, saying “This is the police. We have a warrant”; no one was home. At about 2:36 a.m. a New Hope officer sent to check on a third official saw a man believed to be Boelter sitting in a black SUV with a police-style light bar down the street, took it for a protective detail, and the vehicle left.
Around the time officers arrived at the Hortman home in Brooklyn Park for a safety check, they saw the SUV parked outside with its lights flashing and a fake “POLICE” plate, and Boelter standing near the front door. He fired into the house as he moved inside. Melissa and Mark Hortman died of their wounds; the family dog was also shot. Boelter fled on foot, leaving the SUV, in which officers found about five firearms, a large quantity of loaded magazines and the notebooks.
At about 6:18 a.m. he sent family members a text that read in part, “Dad went to war last night.” He later bought an e-bike and a car from a stranger in north Minneapolis and withdrew money from a bank. Investigators found the car abandoned near Green Isle with a handwritten letter to the FBI, signed “Dr. Vance Luther Boelter,” in which the writer admitted being “the shooter at large in Minnesota.” He was arrested in a field in Green Isle, about a mile from his family’s residence, at about 9:10 p.m. on June 15 after a two-day search.
Prosecution
Federal case. Boelter was charged by federal complaint on June 15, 2025 and indicted on six counts on July 15, 2025. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated, citing court documents, that he “traveled to the homes of Democratic elected officials with the intent to intimidate and murder.” Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson called the killings “targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota.”
On June 11, 2026, before U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim, Boelter admitted the conduct described in the indictment and pleaded guilty to all six counts: stalking Melissa Hortman resulting in death, stalking John Hoffman, the murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman through use of a firearm, and two firearms offenses covering the Hortman shooting and the shooting of the Hoffmans. On July 23, 2026, Tunheim imposed life on the Melissa Hortman stalking and murder counts, a consecutive life term for the murder of Mark Hortman, and consecutive 240-month terms on the Hoffman stalking count and the Hoffman firearms count. The U.S. Attorney’s Office stated that, according to court documents, Boelter acted alone and extensively researched his targets, and cited his “admitted intent to target multiple elected officials.”
State case. A Hennepin County grand jury separately indicted Boelter, as County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced in August 2025, on two counts of first-degree murder, attempted murder counts relating to the three Hoffmans and State Representative Kristin Bahner, impersonating a police officer, and felony animal cruelty. At an August 3, 2026 hearing, Judge Juan Hoyos kept bail at $5 million; the state case remained pending.
Public Response
On the day of the shootings, Governor Walz and law enforcement encouraged Minnesotans not to attend that day’s “No Kings” protests, and dozens of events in the state were canceled. Authorities said the suspect had “No Kings” flyers in his car.
Boelter’s board appointment became the basis for claims on X that Walz was connected to the shootings. PolitiFact documented posts by Mike Cernovich speculating that Walz had “ordered a hit,” amplification by Rogan O’Handley, a post by Benny Johnson saying Walz “personally knew” the suspect, and a false claim that both legislators had recently voted against their party, which X’s AI chatbot Grok repeated. PolitiFact found no evidence that Walz was linked to the shootings.
Utah Senator Mike Lee posted on his personal X account a photo of Boelter captioned “Nightmare on Waltz Street” and a post reading “this is what happens When Marxists don’t get their way.” After Minnesota Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar raised the posts with him, Lee deleted them on June 17, 2025.
What Is Not Stated Here
Reported ages for Boelter differ between sources, so no birth year is given. Statements about his voting history and political views have come mostly from acquaintances quoted in news reports, not from court records, and are not repeated here. On motive, this page relies on the charging documents, the plea and the prosecutors’ statements quoted above.
Sources
- 01.
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Affidavit of FBI Special Agent Terry Getsch in Support of Criminal Complaint, United States v. Vance Luther Boelter, No. 0:25-mj-00376 (D. Minn. June 15, 2025), ECF No. 1-1. (2025). Sworn charging affidavit, retrieved from CourtListener's RECAP archive. Most pages are scanned images and were read by optical character recognition; paragraphs 31 to 33 also carry a text layer. Source for: the preparation described in paragraphs 5 to 7, including lists of the names and home addresses of Minnesota public officials, 'mostly or all Democrats', and websites selling hyper-realistic silicone masks; the Champlin shooting of John and Yvette Hoffman after Boelter, wearing a tactical vest and a full-head mask, announced 'This is the police' (paras. 8-14); the visit at about 2:24 a.m. to the Maple Grove home of 'Public Official 1', who was not home (paras. 15-17); a New Hope officer's encounter at about 2:36 a.m. with a man believed to be Boelter in a black SUV near the home of 'Public Official 2' (paras. 18-20); the Brooklyn Park shooting of Melissa and Mark Hortman after officers arrived for a safety check, the flashing police-style lights and fake 'POLICE' licence plate on his 2015 Ford Explorer, and the Hortmans' injured dog (paras. 21-29); the five firearms, notebooks naming more than 45 Minnesota state and federal public officials, and list of people-search websites recovered from the SUV (paras. 31-33); the Garmin trip history (para. 34); the 6:18 a.m. text to family members, 'Dad went to war last night' (para. 39); the Fleet Farm receipt of about June 9, 2025 (para. 43); the notebook entry on the Hortman home (para. 44); the handwritten letter to the FBI signed 'Dr. Vance Luther Boelter' found in an abandoned Buick (para. 53); and his arrest in a field in Green Isle at about 9:10 p.m. on June 15, 2025 (para. 54). Paragraph 4 dates the attacks to 'June 14, 2024', an evident typographical error; every other date in the affidavit, and every later court record, is 2025.
- 02.
United States Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota. After Two-Day Manhunt, Suspect Charged with Shooting Two Minnesota Lawmakers and Their Spouses. (2025). Release of June 16, 2025, read through the Wayback capture because justice.gov serves a bot-verification page to automated clients. Source for Boelter's age (57) and residence (Green Isle, Minnesota) at the time of charging; the federal complaint charging stalking and murder; the firearms and body armor; the arrest about one mile from his family residence; and Acting U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson's description of 'targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota.'
- 03.
United States Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota. Vance Boelter Indicted for the Murders of Melissa and Mark Hortman, the Shootings of John and Yvette Hoffman, and the Attempted Shooting of Hope Hoffman. (2025). Release of July 15, 2025, read through the Wayback capture. Source for the six-count federal indictment; for the statement, attributed to court documents, that Boelter 'traveled to the homes of Democratic elected officials with the intent to intimidate and murder'; for the attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman; and for the charges carrying maximum penalties of life imprisonment or death.
- 04.
United States Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota. Boelter Pleaded Guilty for His Role in the Stalking and Murder of Minnesota State Legislators. (2026). Release of June 11, 2026, read through the Wayback capture. Source for the guilty plea to all counts at a change-of-plea hearing before Judge John R. Tunheim on June 11, 2026; for Boelter admitting the conduct described in the indictment; for the counts being two stalkings, two murders through use of a firearm and two firearm-shooting offenses; and for the plea agreement providing that he is subject to the longest prison term allowable.
- 05.
United States District Court for the District of Minnesota. Amended Judgment in a Criminal Case, United States v. Vance Luther Boelter, No. 0:25-cr-00272-JRT-DJF (D. Minn. Aug. 7, 2026), ECF No. 66. (2026). Read directly as a PDF. Source for the six offenses of conviction and their statutes — count 1, stalking of Melissa Hortman (18 U.S.C. 2261A(2)(A) and 2261(b)(1)); count 2, stalking of John Hoffman (2261A(2)(A) and 2261(b)(2)); counts 3 and 4, murder of Melissa Hortman and of Mark Hortman through use of a firearm (18 U.S.C. 924(j)); counts 5 and 6, firearms offenses under 18 U.S.C. 924(c) for the Hortman shooting and for the shooting of John and Yvette Hoffman and attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman; for the sentence of life on counts 1 and 3 concurrently, life on count 4 consecutively, 240 months each on counts 2 and 6 consecutively, and no sentence on count 5; for the date of imposition, July 23, 2026; and for the amended judgment being signed on August 7, 2026.
- 06.
United States Attorney's Office, District of Minnesota. Vance Boelter Sentenced to Two Consecutive Life Terms Plus 40 Years Consecutive for the Stalking and Murder of Minnesota State Legislators. (2026). Release of July 23, 2026, read through the Wayback capture. Source for the sentence of two consecutive life terms plus a consecutive 40-year term; for the account, attributed to court documents, that Boelter acted alone, extensively researched his intended targets, and used disguises, firearms and law-enforcement-style equipment to gain access to the residences; for 'Boelter's admitted intent to target multiple elected officials'; and for FBI Minneapolis Special Agent in Charge Christopher D. Dotson's statement that Boelter 'believed his political opinions outweighed the voice and vote of every other Minnesotan.'
- 07.
Sepic, M. (2026). State-level murder prosecution for Vance Boelter in lawmaker attacks moves forward. MPR News. Published August 3, 2026. Source for the Hennepin County grand jury indictment announced by County Attorney Mary Moriarty in August 2025; for its counts — first-degree murder of Melissa and Mark Hortman, attempted murder relating to John, Yvette and Hope Hoffman and State Representative Kristin Bahner, impersonating a police officer, and felony animal cruelty for shooting the Hortmans' dog; and for the August 3, 2026 hearing before Judge Juan Hoyos, at which bail stayed at $5 million and the state case remained pending. The article says the federal plea came in July; the court record and the U.S. Attorney's release date it to June 11, 2026, and this page follows them.
- 08.
Czopek, M. (2025). How conservative X accounts promoted wild theory implicating Gov. Tim Walz in lawmaker's killing. PolitiFact. Published June 15, 2025. Source for Boelter's appointment by Governor Mark Dayton as a 'private sector representative' on the Governor's Workforce Development Board, his reappointment by Governor Tim Walz on December 9, 2019 as a 'business member', and the expiry of his term on January 2, 2023; for the Walz spokesperson's statements that the office appoints thousands of people of all political affiliations and that Walz had no relationship with Boelter; for the X posts by Mike Cernovich, Rogan O'Handley and Benny Johnson suggesting a Walz connection, a false claim that both legislators had recently voted against their party, and X's Grok chatbot repeating the claim about Hoffman's vote; for PolitiFact's finding of no evidence that Walz was linked to the shootings; and for Boelter being listed as director of security patrols at Praetorian Guard Security Services, a company the article says launched in 2018.
- 09.
Gregorian, D. (2025). Sen. Mike Lee deletes social media posts about the Minnesota shootings after facing criticism. NBC News. Published June 17, 2025. Source for Utah Senator Mike Lee's posts on his personal X account — 'this is what happens When Marxists don't get their way' and a photo of Boelter captioned 'Nightmare on Waltz Street' — their removal on June 17, 2025, and the responses of Minnesota Senators Tina Smith and Amy Klobuchar.
- 10.
Associated Press, via PBS NewsHour. Protesters gather across the U.S. at nationwide anti-Trump 'No Kings' rallies. (2025). Same-day AP report of June 14, 2025. Source for authorities' statement that the suspect had 'No Kings' flyers in his car, and for Governor Walz and law enforcement encouraging people not to attend Minnesota rallies that day, with dozens of events canceled.
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