A Minnesota man has pleaded guilty to killing a state politician, and 3 other shootings

Minnesota native Vance Boelter pleaded guilty Thursday to federal charges in connection with the shootings last year of two Democratic state politicians and their spouses.

The U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis informed the court Wednesday that the Justice Department will not seek the death penalty against Boelter, pursuant to a proposed plea agreement.

Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, were shot in their home by a man who came to their home on the morning of June 14, 2025, disguised as a police officer and driving a fake military vehicle.

Less than two hours later, Melissa Hortman – who had just stepped down as Speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives – was killed along with her husband, Mark Hortman, in their suburban home. The Hortmans' golden retriever had to be euthanized after being injured.

Boelter, 58, was arrested two days later near his rural home in what officials said was the largest manhunt in Minnesota history.

He had visited at least one other elected official's office between the shootings but left, the Associated Press previously reported.

The six charges Boelter pleaded guilty to include two counts of murder, two counts of firearms violations – in connection with the shooting of the Hoffmans – and two counts of stalking.

Boelter repeatedly said “Yes” as his state attorney asked him about his actions, including whether he pressed the gun to Melissa Hortman's head and fired.

Boelter followed as US District Judge John Tunheim addressed the six charges and possible sentences. Tunheim did not set a sentencing date. According to media reports, Boelter will serve two life sentences in prison.

Minnesota abolished capital punishment in 1911 and has never had a federal death penalty. Daniel Borgertpoepping, a spokesman for the Hennepin County District Attorney's Office, said before the sentencing that the plea agreement will not affect Boelter's state charges.

Prosecutors called the shooting politically motivated. When they announced the federal indictment in July, they released a handwritten letter they say Boelter wrote to FBI director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the attack.

In other messages to the media, Boelter has talked about a vague and secretive “investigation” he has been conducting, at times suggesting it is about a vaccine for COVID-19.

Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian and occasional preacher and missionary who had volatile political views and had struggled to find work.

Life-changing injuries for living politicians

Both John and Yvette Hoffman were in court Thursday.

John Hoffman said in a lawsuit filed against Boelter in April that his left arm and hand will likely never recover and he also suffered permanent damage to his digestive and urinary systems.

Yvette Hoffman was left with permanent physical disabilities, the lawsuit said, while their oldest daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was there and called 911 but was not shot, suffered severe psychological trauma.

The shootings of Hortman and Hoffman were among several incidents in the past few years in which politicians and government officials were targeted in their homes.

The Canadian man who revoked his US visa in 2022 was referring to former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, who was not living in San Francisco at the time. Instead, Pelosi's husband, Paul Pelosi, was brutally attacked and seriously injured, resulting in the defendant being sentenced to life in prison.

US Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh was the target of a planned 2022 attack by a California resident who traveled across the country to the justice's residence in Maryland, then called a relative and surrendered before the violence began. The defendant was sentenced to more than eight years in prison.

A Pennsylvania man pleaded guilty to arson and other charges after the 2025 burglary of governor Josh Shapiro's home, leading to a minimum of 25 years in prison.