Suspect in Minnesota political killings will not face death penalty: DOJ
Federal prosecutors will not seek the death penalty against Vance Boelter, the man charged in the 2025 fatal shooting of a Minnesota state representative and her husband, and another attack that left a second lawmaker and his wife wounded, according to a Department of Justice spokesperson.
Prosecutors declined to pursue the ultimate punishment against 58-year-old Boelter because a federal judge ruled earlier this year in an unrelated murder case that interstate stalking charges do not rise to the level to support a capital crime, officials said.
Boelter was arrested nearly a year ago after a two-day manhunt. He is accused of disguising himself as a police officer and fatally shooting Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, at their home on June 14, 2025.
That same day, Boelter allegedly traveled to the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, where he allegedly shot the lawmaker and his wife, Yvette, and attempted to shoot their daughter, prosecutors said. Both John and Yvette Hoffman survived the shooting.
Following the attacks, police say they discovered a notebook in the alleged gunman's abandoned, fake police vehicle containing a list of elected officials who investigators suspect were targeted in a plot that the Minnesota U.S. attorney described at the time as the "stuff of nightmares."
Boelter allegedly traveled to the homes of two other state lawmakers only to find no one at those locations, prosecutors said.
Boelter has pleaded not guilty to six federal counts, including murder, attempted murder, stalking and other firearms-related charges. He has also pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder in state court, where he faces life in prison if convicted.
The decision by federal prosecutors not to seek the death penalty stems from a Jan. 30 ruling by New York U.S. District Court Judge Margaret Garnett in the federal murder case against Luigi Mangione, the suspect charged in the December 2024 killing of UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson in Midtown Manhattan. Mangione has pleaded not guilty to the charges. Garrett ruled that stalking is not a crime of violence and, therefore, not a predicate to make the killing of Thompson a capital crime.
"Bringing justice to the families and loved ones of victims of violence is the number one priority of the Department of Justice," a DOJ spokesperson told ABC News. "Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he [Boelter] was held accountable to the fullest extent possible."
Boelter is alleged to have shown up at the doors of the targeted politicians in the middle of the night, impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking mask, officials said.
The suspect allegedly surveilled the victims' homes and took notes, federal prosecutors alleged. In a search of a home in north Minneapolis tied to Boelter, authorities seized a list of public officials that had a notation under Melissa Hortman's name reading, "married Mark 2 children 11th term," according to an affidavit.
Another notebook included an added notation next to Melissa Hortman's name reading, "Big house off golf course 2 ways in to watch from one spot," the affidavit said.
Security camera footage taken from the Hoffman home showed the suspect in a black tactical vest, body armor and a "hyper-realistic silicon mask," prosecutors said. Armed with a flashlight and a 9mm Beretta handgun, Boelter allegedly knocked on the front door and repeatedly shouted, "This is the police, open the door," according to prosecutors.
