The man suspected of assassinating a Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker and attempting to kill another is being brought up on federal murder and stalking charges and could face the death penalty, prosecutors said Monday, hours after he was arrested following a days-long manhunt.
Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Joe Thompson said during a press conference that Vance Luther Boelter went to the homes of four Minnesota lawmakers with the intent of killing them.
“Political assassinations are rare. They strike at the very core of our democracy,” Thompson said. “But the details of Boelter’s crime are even worse. They are truly chilling. It is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares.”
Boelter, 57, is facing six federal counts: two stalking charges, two firearm offenses for the non-fatal shooting of State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, and two murder charges for the killing of former State House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. He faces anywhere from 20 years in prison to a potential death sentence for the federal murder charge.
Boelter was finally arrested Sunday night without firing a shot after evading the police for two days.
“After a two-day manhunt in which hundreds of law enforcement officials left their families to run into danger and deliver justice for Melissa and Mark Hortman, Vance Boelter has been apprehended,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz (D) said in a statement.
“Boelter’s unthinkable actions ended the life of someone who shaped the core of who we are as a state. Someone who was beloved by colleagues on both sides of the aisle. Someone who sacrificed everything for public service,” Walz added.
On the state level, the suspected assassin is being charged with two counts of murder and two counts of attempted murder. He allegedly shot and killed Representative Hortman and her husband in their home in the northern suburbs of Minneapolis Saturday morning. He is also suspected of shooting Senator Hoffman and his wife at their nearby residence, leaving them both hospitalized with gunshot wounds.
“The face of evil. After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody. Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer,” the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said in announcing his arrest.
Boelter was found in a rural part of Sibley County, southwest of Minneapolis, after the authorities received a tip from a local on the suspect’s whereabouts. The 43-hour manhunt for Boelter involved state and local law enforcement and was the “largest manhunt in the state’s history,” Brooklyn Park police chief Mark Bruley said. Boelter surrendered to police and crawled to officers from the woods after law enforcement found him.
Walz previously appointed Boelter in 2019 to serve a four year term on the Governor’s Workforce Development Board. Boelter was also the head of Praetorian Guard Services, a private security company. He is suspected of impersonating a police officer when carrying out the brutal attacks and is thought to have had a lengthy target list of other Minnesota lawmakers in his vehicle.
He also possessed fliers for anti-Trump “No Kings” protests, prompting law enforcement to warn people not to attend them.