MINNESOTA MAN SENTENCED TO LIFE FOR KILLING DEMOCRATIC LAWMAKER

Vance Boelter, aged 59, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in prison on Thursday after pleading guilty to killing Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, and shooting state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. Boelter pleaded guilty in June to six counts related to the attacks. He agreed to the maximum sentence short of the death penalty to avoid capital charges. The sentencing hearing included testimony from survivors and family members describing the lasting physical and psychological harm caused by the violence.

According to court documents, Boelter spent months identifying and stalking his targets before driving to their homes in the middle of the night disguised as a police officer. On 14 June 2025, at approximately 3:30 a.m., Boelter went to Hortman's home wearing a tactical uniform and mask. He rang the doorbell whilst shouting that he was a police officer conducting a welfare check. When Mark Hortman answered, Boelter provided a false name and badge number before shooting him multiple times and forcing his way into the house, where he shot Melissa Hortman as she fled upstairs. The attacks sparked the largest police search in Minnesota's history and prompted increased security measures among elected officials statewide.

In court, Hoffman described the continuing impact on his family, saying they no longer receive mail at home, installed solid steel doors and changed their daily routines due to injuries sustained in the attack. His wife Yvette told the court she has been unable to work since the incident and attends weekly therapy sessions. Mark Hortman's family members expressed anger at Boelter's avoidance of the death penalty. Prosecutors characterised the attacks as "an assault on democracy" that "terrified Minnesota's public servants" and threatened state institutions.