Minnesota man sentenced to life for killing Democratic lawmaker Melissa Hortman

Vance Boelter receives two life terms after admitting politically motivated killings and shootings

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The Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to killing a top Democratic lawmaker and her husband was sentenced to spend the rest of his life in prison on Thursday, a little over a year after the political attacks.

Vance Boelter, 59, was sentenced to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years in prison after pleading guilty in June to the six counts related to the killings of the former house speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shootings of state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

Fellow lawmakers and survivors of the shooting spoke earlier in the hearing, describing the lasting fear and physical harm that Boelter caused.

Boelter pleaded guilty to avoid the death penalty; instead, he agreed to the maximum sentence he could be issued short of the death penalty. Mark Hortman’s father and siblings voiced their anger that he would not face the death penalty.

Wearing orange prison garb and shackled at the ankles, Boelter sat extremely still, never looking at the survivors and family members as they read their victim impact statements.

Victims and survivors described the impact of the attacks.

In court on Thursday, Hoffman said he and his family were constantly reminded of the extraordinary violence of that night, even in the mundane details of day-to-day life. He said they did not receive mail at home any more, they installed solid steel doors, and that they had changed how they do everyday tasks because of their injuries.

“The defendant looked me in the eyes and pulled the trigger. The defendant looked at my wife and chose to do the same,” Hoffman said. “My wife and I now live with injuries. We live with our bodies remembering the gunfire.”

Yvette Hoffman said she had been too traumatized to work since the attack in their home, and that she sees a therapist weekly.

“I fought him, your Honor, with everything I had. And I finally got him out of our home. I will never forget looking down and watching my blood slowly stream down that white washing machine as I felt myself sinking to the floor,” she said, barely holding back tears as she spoke.

Boelter admitted in court in June that he spent months identifying and stalking his targets, before driving to their homes in the middle of the night, disguised as a police officer, with the intention of killing them. The killings sparked the largest police search in state history.

Mark Hortman’s parents and siblings spoke of their anger on Thursday, both at the man who killed him and at the justice system.

“It will not offer me peace of mind that he will have room and board provided for the rest of his life, paid for by my tax dollars,” said Lisa Hortman Bean, Mark’s sister.

Boelter went to Hortman’s home, wearing a tactical uniform and mask, about 3.30am on 14 June 2025. He rang the doorbell while shouting he was a police officer doing a welfare check, according to court documents.

Mark Hortman answered the door. Boelter gave him a fake name and badge number before requesting he summon Melissa Hortman to the door as well. He shot Mark Hortman multiple times before pushing into the house and shooting the lawmaker as she fled upstairs. Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed.

Boelter had already visited the Hoffmans’ home that night, shooting and critically injuring the senator and his wife, according to police and court documents. Court documents said Boelter also went to two other lawmakers’ houses that night. In one instance, no one answered the door, and in the other, Boelter was spooked when a police officer approached him in his car, believing he was another officer.