Federal authorities announced Wednesday they will forgo pursuing capital punishment in a plea arrangement with the suspect charged in the fatal shooting of Minnesota’s leading House Democrat and her spouse, while also injuring another state legislator and his wife.
Vance Boelter, the accused, has a plea modification hearing set for Thursday morning at the federal courthouse in Minneapolis.
The victims include former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her spouse Mark, along with state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette Hoffman. All four were shot by an individual who approached their residences during the early morning hours of June 14, 2025, while impersonating a law enforcement officer and operating a counterfeit police vehicle.
