Man accused of killing Minnesota lawmaker and her husband expected to plead guilty

Vance Boelter , the Minnesota man accused of impersonating a law enforcement officer and fatally shooting the state’s former house speaker in what authorities have described as a politically motivated assassination , plead guilty Thursday .

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Boelter had initially pleaded not guilty , but federal prosecutors said that in exchange for a guilty plea, they would no longer pursue the death penalty.

Boelter, 58, dressed in an orange sweatsuit, responded “yes” when asked by the judge if he carried out the crimes. He said he acted alone and researched the victims to gather information about them.

“You did that for stalking and ultimate killing?” the judge asked.

Boelter’s attorney and prosecutors did not immediately respond to requests for comment.

A federal grand jury indicted Boelter last year on six counts, including stalking and murder through the use of a firearm in connection with the June 14, 2025, shootings.

Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were gunned down and killed at their Brooklyn Park home. Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot and injured at their nearby home in Champlin. Former U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said Boelter also attempted to kill the couple’s daughter, Hope, but the senator and his wife shielded her. She was not shot.

Authorities said Boelter disguised himself as a law enforcement officer and wore a “hyper realistic” silicone face mask , a tactical vest, and body armor on the night of the shootings.

Armed with a flashlight and a handgun, Boelter knocked on the Hoffmans’ door and shouted, “This is the police! Open the door!” He shot the senator and his wife multiple times before driving to the homes of two other state officials, who were not home, then proceeding to the Hortmans’ residence, according to the U.S. Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota.

At Thursday’s hearing, the judge asked Boelter if he falsely told the Hoffmans that a shooting had been reported and asked if they had any guns.

“Yes,” Boelter responded, before admitting to firing multiple shots at them.

The judge asked if he yelled, “Police, welfare check” at the Hortmans’ home before opening fire.

Boelter acknowledged that Mark Hortman had asked for his name and badge number, and that he made one up.

He was arrested after a two-day manhunt, crawling in a field in a rural part of the state .

Authorities said Boelter had left behind a notebook with a list of politicians from Minnesota, including Hoffman and Hortman, as well as lawmakers in Nebraska, Illinois, Wisconsin, Iowa, and Michigan.

He previously claimed in a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel that the state’s governor wanted him to kill two U.S. senators, according to officials. The letter was found in his car after the shootings. Thompson had said the letter was part of an apparent attempt by Boelter to excuse his crimes, and said there was no evidence he targeted the state’s two U.S. senators.

Boelter also faces multiple state charges and pleaded not guilty.