The man who pleaded guilty to the murders of top Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, at their Minneapolis-area home in June 2025 was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.
Vance Boelter, 59, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to six federal charges related to what prosecutors said were politically motivated attacks last year, during which he also critically injured Democratic Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, on the same day.
Boelter was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to two charges of stalking, two of murder and two of federal firearms offenses earlier this month in order to avoid the death penalty. The Department of Justice had initially left open the possibility before deciding against a capital punishment recommendation.
The DOJ said the underlying stalking charges against Boelter would likely not make him eligible for the death penalty, which stoked an outpouring of frustration from the victim’s families, during Thursday’s emotional sentencing hearing.
J. Carroll Hortman, Mark’s father, said his family was deprived of the “trial they deserved” and decried acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the death penalty decision.
The hearing included testimony from Jon and Yvette and the Hortmans’ two children, Sophie and Colin, along with other members of the families and a host of Minnesota lawmakers.
“I miss my mom, I miss my dad,” Sophie, the 28-year-old daughter of Melissa and Mark, said after recounting a story about the loss of the family’s golden retriever, who also died in the shooting. “I miss believing in the goodness of humanity.”
Her brother, Colin, 30, described the pain he felt without his parents’ presence at his wedding. John and Yvette recounted the daily trauma they endure since the attempt on their lives.
Boelter impersonated a police officer and went to the lawmakers’ homes “with the intent to intimidate and murder,” according to the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota. He first went to the Hoffmans’ home, where he repeatedly shot the state senator and his wife and tried to shoot their daughter, prosecutors said. Later that day, according to officials, he went to the Hortmans’ home, where he killed Melissa and her husband.
Prosecutors said Boelter also went to the homes of two other Minnesota elected officials the day of the shootings but that they were not home.
The killings led to the largest manhunt in Minnesota history, which lasted for two days before Boelter was arrested near his home in Green Isle, Minnesota. The tragedy drew condemnation of political violence from Gov. Tim Walz and state and federal lawmakers across the country.
Blanche referred to Boelter’s sentencing in a post on X on Thursday.
“This murderer will spend the rest of his life behind bars for his heinous acts of violence against public servants and their families,” Blanche said, adding, “Our hearts remain with the victims’ families, loved ones, and all those whose lives were forever changed by these horrific attacks.”
Conspiracy theories, some perpetuated by President Donald Trump, gained traction online following the murders. The Hortmans’ children in January publicly called on Trump in January to remove a post on Truth Social that promoted a conspiracy theory alleging that Walz and alleged fraud in Minnesota’s state welfare programs were tied to the Melissa and Mark’s death. There is no evidence of either claim.
Boelter also faces state charges of murder, attempted murder, impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty in Minnesota. That case was placed on hold pending his federal case.
The post Man who killed top Minnesota lawmaker sentenced to life in prison appeared first on MS NOW.
