Minnesota lawmaker shootings: Survivors, families address Vance Boelter as he's sentenced to life
Vance Boelter was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years after pleading guilty to stalking and shooting Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota last year.
The federal sentence was handed down following powerful statements from shooting survivors and relatives of the victims.
Colin Hortman, whose parents, Mark Hortman and Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman, were killed, said his family went from "whole to shattered" in one night, ABC Minneapolis affiliate KSTP reported.
"My mom will never bake me another cake … she was supposed to bake my wedding cake," he said in his victim impact statement, according to KSTP.
"They would have been the best grandparents -- they will never meet my children," he added.
Boelter spoke briefly at the hearing, saying, "To every person I have caused loss, pain, heartache, confusion, sadness, shame or loneliness, I am truly sorry."
Boelter pleaded guilty last month to all six federal charges against him: two stalking counts, two murder counts and two federal firearm-shooting offenses.
Federal prosecutors said they told Boelter they would take the death penalty off the table if he pleaded guilty and served two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years.
In court last month, Boelter admitted to gunning down Mark Hortman and Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman at their house in the early hours of June 14, 2025.
That same day, Boelter drove to the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and shot and wounded the lawmaker and his wife, Yvette, and attempted to shoot their daughter.
John Hoffman said in his victim impact statement that Boelter looked him in the eyes when he shot him nine times, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
Yvette Hoffman said in her statement that the attack "shattered" her sense of safety.
"I came face to face with evil," she said, according to KSTP. "I felt it, I endured it, I fought it, and I survived it."
John Hoffman asked for a significant sentence to show "violence will never triumph over justice," the Star Tribune said.
Relatives of the Hortmans blasted the Department of Justice for not seeking the death penalty and said politics were at play.
Mark Hortman's father, J.C. Hortman, said the Justice Department "made the gutless decision [to forgo the death penalty] to save money and save time."
Prosecutors said Boelter, who disguised himself as a police officer, also drove to the homes of two other state lawmakers, but found no one at those locations.
"Vance Boelter’s crimes rank among the most horrific this office has ever prosecuted," U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen said in a statement Thursday. "Today, the United States ensured that Boelter will spend the rest of his life in prison without the possibility of release. Those who commit political violence at any level should take heed that the Department of Justice will seek and obtain the longest prison terms available for their crimes."
"My deepest condolences go out to the Hortman and Hoffman families as they continue to grieve and heal from this tragedy," Rosen added.
Boelter also faces state charges. He has pleaded not guilty and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said last month that it would move forward with the state case.
ABC News' Mark Guarino contributed to this report.
