Authorities arrest suspect of shooting Minnesota lawmaker
Police have arrested Vance Luther Boulter, the man accused of killing Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and his wife and injuring the state senator and his wife.
A man accused of assassinating a Minnesota lawmaker and his wife and shooting another is expected to change his plea to guilty on June 11, according to court filings.
On June 14, 2025, Vance Luther Boulter, 58, was arrested following an investigation following the shooting deaths of Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark, and their dog, and the shooting deaths of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, both of whom were injured but survived.
Boulter was charged with two counts of murder with a firearm, stalking and firearms charges for the shootings of the Hortmans and Hoffmans, and the attempted shooting of the Hoffmans’ adult daughter, Hope. He pleaded not guilty in August 2025. Some of the federal charges carried the possibility of the death penalty.
Prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty in a plea agreement with Mr. Boulter, according to a letter from Minnesota District Attorney Daniel Rosen. According to records, the change in the Prosecution Review Board is scheduled for June 11 at 10 a.m. local time.
Mr. Belter’s attorney did not respond to a request for comment.
The shooting nearly a year ago shocked Minnesota and was quickly deemed an assassination and an “act of political extremism” by prosecutors. The MPs shot dead were members of the state’s Democratic, Farmers and Labor parties. Prosecutors said Boulter claimed in a letter to the FBI that he was being blackmailed in an outlandish conspiracy and that he had a list of other officials’ names.
What happened in the Minnesota lawmaker shooting incident?
In the early morning hours of June 14, 2025, Boelter dressed up as a police officer, equipped with a “surrealistic” silicone mask, a vest and an SUV with flashing lights, and drove through suburban Minneapolis to the homes of several members of Congress, authorities previously said.
Police and prosecutors say the man first arrived at Hoffman’s home, knocked on the door, yelled he was police, and told the resident to open the door around 2 a.m. Police and prosecutors say the man shot John and Yvette Hoffman multiple times. He also tried to shoot his daughter, Hope, but she was not injured, according to the indictment.
He then drove to the homes of two other state legislators. One person was not home. He encountered police at another home and fled in a car, officials said.
Officials said the man arrived at the Hortman residence around 3:30 a.m. He again took advantage of police tactics, according to the indictment. While Boulter was talking to Mark Hortman on the porch, police officers who had learned of the previous shooting also arrived for a welfare check. According to the indictment, Boulter fired shots into the residence, and officers engaged in a gunfight with Boulter. Prosecutors said the suspect shot Mark Hortman to death in the front door of the home, then shot Melissa Hortman multiple times, killing her as she tried to run up the stairs. Boulter was also charged with shooting and killing his family’s golden retriever, Gilbert.
Massive investigation begins in shooting incident
After Boulter fled, authorities launched what has been described as the largest manhunt in Minnesota history.
In the SUV he left behind, authorities said they found a note listing the names of other officials and a newspaper that read “No King,” an apparent reference to protests that occurred across the United States that day.
Boulter was arrested on June 15 near Green Isle, Minnesota. Authorities said police searching the Boulters’ home found an abandoned car near the farmhouse with a letter to the FBI inside.
Prosecutors previously said the letter included Boelter’s confession to shooting the lawmakers and allegation that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz approached him about killing other lawmakers, a claim they called “delusional” or perhaps an attempt to abandon the investigation.
