Vance Boelter due to change plea in killing of Minnesota lawmaker and her husband

Key Points:

• Vance Boelter, charged with the political assassinations of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, as well as the attempted murders of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, will appear in federal court to change his not-guilty plea following a decision not to seek the death penalty.
• Federal prosecutors in Minneapolis announced they will not pursue the death penalty against Boelter as part of a proposed plea agreement, though details of the agreement remain undisclosed.
• The shootings occurred on June 14, 2025, when Boelter, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake squad car, attacked the victims at their homes; the Hortmans’ dog was also euthanized due to injuries.
• Boelter was captured after the largest suspect search in Minnesota history and faces both federal and state charges, with the state case on hold pending federal proceedings; Minnesota abolished capital punishment in 1911 and has never had a federal death penalty case.
• Prosecutors have described the shootings as politically motivated, though Boelter’s handwritten confession did not clarify his motives; Boelter, an evangelical Christian with conservative views, referenced a vague “investigation” related to the COVID-19 vaccine in communications.