Minnesota political assassination suspect indicted on federal charges

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — A federal grand jury indicted suspected Minnesota political assassin Vance Boelter on six counts, which may lead to the government seeking the death penalty, acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said during an afternoon press conference Tuesday at the U.S. Courthouse in Minneapolis.

Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, is accused of assassinating a top Minnesota Democrat and her husband, as well as the attempted murder of another Minnesota lawmaker and his wife in June.

“This political assassination, the likes of which have never occurred in the state of Minnesota, has shook our state at a foundational level,” Thompson told reporters Tuesday.

Among the six-count indictment, Boelter faces federal murder and stalking charges in the killings of Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as stalking and shooting charges related to Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette, who survived but were hospitalized. With the formal indictment, the death penalty is now on the table, Thompson says.

Boelter also faces state murder and attempted murder charges in the shootings.

Thompson, surrounded by state and local leaders, told reporters Tuesday that additional charges in Boelter’s federal case now include an attempted murder charge against the Hoffman’s daughter Hope, whom the Hoffmans protected from gunfire as a shooter opened fire on the family.

Thompson also revealed more details on the case on Tuesday, along with a newly released search warrant.

Security surveillance footage shows Melissa Hortman being shot and killed as she tried to flee up her home’s stairs after her husband was killed, according to Thompson.

Law enforcement also found a letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, which claims that the U.S. military trained Boelter around the world and that Minnesota Governor Tim Walz, a Democrat, asked him to kill two Democrat Senators.

Thompson made clear Tuesday that he believes Boelter acted alone. While he left no “manifesto” explaining his actions, he did have a list of Democrats and their families that he researched and observed before last month’s assassinations, Thompson told reporters, calling Boelter’s actions an act of “political extremism.”

The indictment and its special findings are the first step in seeking the death penalty, according to Thompson, who added that Attorney General Pam Bondi will make that decision, with input from the Department of Justice, in a matter of weeks or months.

The search for Boelter was the largest manhunt in the state, according to authorities, and resulted in a weekend-long operation involving hundreds of police officers from around the state and country.

No hearing date has been set for Boelter since his earlier hearing this month, where he waived his right to a detention hearing in order to receive evidence from prosecutors at an earlier date.

Boelter said in court in early July that he was waiving his rights to move along the process where “the truth can come out” and that “Minnesotans want to know what’s going on.”