Suspected Minnesota political assassin faces federal murder charges

MINNEAPOLIS (CN) — Following the largest manhunt in Minnesota history, a suspected political assassin will remain in federal custody as he awaits his detention hearing later this month.

Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, Minnesota, is facing federal murder and stalking charges for the assassination of a top Minnesota Democrat lawmaker and her husband as well as the attempted murder of another Minnesota lawmaker and his wife.

Boelter, dressed in an orange jumpsuit and flanked by U.S. Marshals, appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge John Docherty, a Joe Biden appointee.

Docherty appointed a public defender for Boelter due to his financial situation. Boelter told the court that he only has a part-time job where he makes $540 a week, owns his home, has seven vehicles registered to his name and about $30,000 in savings. Docherty doubted Boelter has the means to mount a proper defense considering the charges he faces.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Bradley Endicott, representing the Department of Justice, asked that Boelter be held in pretrial detention due to the “extremely serious” accusations. He cited the manhunt for Boelter, where he evaded law enforcement over the weekend.

Boelter’s next appearance in federal court is scheduled for June 27.

Joseph Thompson, acting Department of Justice attorney for the District of Minnesota, called the killings “chilling,” and the stuff of “nightmares.”

“Boelter stalked his victims like prey,” Thompson said in a Monday press conference, adding that the attack was preplanned.

Boelter was also charged by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office this weekend with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted murder for the shootings. He was being held on $5 million bail for those charges.

Boelter did not appear for his Monday afternoon hearing on state murder charges since he remained in federal custody in St. Paul. A local district judge ordered a bench warrant for him to appear but when that will happen is unknown.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office plans to seek first-degree murder charges against Boelter, but that will require a grand jury proceeding.

“Melissa and Mark Hortman were parents, neighbors, and friends. Their loss is felt deeply by the people who knew and loved them. Our thoughts and support are with State Senator Hoffman and his family," Hennepin County attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement.

Boelter was arrested Sunday evening near his residence in Sibley County, about an hour southwest of the Twin Cities, following an extensive manhunt over the weekend.

He was dressed as a police officer early Saturday morning when he shot and murdered state House Democratic-Farmer-Labor leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, according to law enforcement officials. Authorities say Boelter also shot state Senator John Hoffman, a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette.

Hoffman and his wife survived the attempted assassination.

Both Democrats and Republicans widely condemned the act.

“This cannot be the norm. It cannot be the way we deal with our political differences,” Minnesota Governor Tim Walz said in Sunday press conference. “Now is the time for us to recommit to the core values of this country. And each and every one of can do it. Talk to a neighbor before arguing. Debate an issue. Shake hands. Find common ground.”

Law enforcement initially responded to a shooting at a Champlin residence around 2 a.m. Saturday, where they found Hoffman and his wife had been shot. Champlin is about 30 minutes north of Minneapolis.

Video surveillance showed a Ford SUV with police-style lights, later found to be registered to Boelter, parked in the driveway of the residence where a man wearing a mask, blue shirt and tactical vest with a badge approached the door with a flashlight and yellow-gripped gun. The man knocked on the door, then shot Hoffman nine times and his wife eight, according to authorities.

Thompson said that when the Hoffmans tried to force Boelter out of his home after realizing that he was not a police officer, he shot Hoffman and then his wife.

Thompson said Boelter then went to a state politician’s house in New Hope, where police had also been dispatched. An officer claims he saw Boelter at the residence, and thinking he was another officer, attempted to talk with him, though Boelter did not respond. Boelter also went to another state politician’s home but did not make contact with anyone at that residence.

Law enforcement then went to check on Hortman’s house in Brooklyn Park, a few miles away from Hoffman’s residence, around 3:30 a.m.

According to the criminal complaint, police saw Boelter shoot Hortman’s husband through the open door of the couple’s home. The gunman fled inside the residence and escaped the area on foot after exchanging gunfire with police.

Inside his vehicle, police found at least three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun and a list of names and addresses of other pubic officials.

Boelter purchased four of the firearms recovered by police, according to authorities. A person who knew Boelter identified him as the man on the Champlin residence video footage.

Police also found a “manifesto” written by Boelter, which contained the names of prominent pro-choice individuals in Minnesota, according to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

The DOJ downplayed the “manifesto” talk during Monday’s press conference, saying that the federal government has not seen any sort of Unabomber-type writings to suggest a motive behind the attacks. Nonetheless, Attorney General Pamela Bondi vowed that Boelter will be prosecuted “to the fullest extent of the law.”

“The horrific, targeted murders of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, as well as the shooting of Minnesota State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman, have shocked the nation and united us in grief," Bondi said in a press release.

The assassination prompted several police departments to warn residents to call 911 if a lone police officer shows up at their door.

The manhunt, described by law enforcement as the largest in Minnesota history, happened against the backdrop of one of the largest American protests ever in response to President Donald Trump’s tightening grip on Democrat-run cities across the country. The Trump administration has deployed federal paramilitary forces across the nation, along with the National Guard and U.S. Marines to Los Angeles, and detained Democrat lawmakers for attempting to investigate forced disappearances of legal residents.

While Trump said the shooting was “horrific,” he called Walz a “terrible governor” who was “grossly incompetent” in an interview with ABC. He has yet to call Walz about the attack.

The assassination has led to disinformation from right-wing influencers attempting to link the shootings to liberals, despite Boelter being an anti-abortion Trump supporter.