A Minnesota man who admitted to killing a prominent Democratic lawmaker and her husband was sentenced Thursday to spend the rest of his life behind bars, just over a year after the politically motivated attacks shook the state.
Vance Boelter, 59, received two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 40 years in prison after pleading guilty in June to six counts tied to the fatal shootings of House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as the shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
Before the sentence was handed down, surviving victims and fellow lawmakers addressed the court, detailing the enduring fear, trauma and physical injuries left in the wake of Boelter’s violence.
Boelter entered his guilty plea to avoid a possible death sentence, agreeing instead to the harshest punishment available short of execution. Mark Hortman’s father and siblings expressed frustration and anger in court that Boelter would not face the death penalty.
Dressed in orange prison clothing and restrained at the ankles, Boelter remained rigidly still throughout the hearing, avoiding eye contact with survivors and relatives as they delivered emotional victim impact statements.
Victims and survivors describe the impact of the attacks
Sen. Hoffman told the court that he and his family are reminded daily of the brutality of that night, even in ordinary routines. He said they no longer receive mail at their home, have installed solid steel doors and have had to change the way they handle basic 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 the attack inside their home has left her unable to return to work and reliant on weekly therapy as she continues to cope with the trauma.
“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. “We always have an escape plan now. This isn’t how people should live.”
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.
Democratic State Rep. Kristin Bahner was one of two other legislators whose homes Boelter visited that night, but she and her family were on vacation. Bahner said the shootings had left her shaken.
“I could not fathom why I was spared and (Hortman) was not,” she said. ”You failed because I carry her with me. In my mind and in my heart, she guides me.”
The proposed sentence sparks fury
Mark Hortman’s parents and siblings spoke of their anger Thursday, both at the man who killed him and of 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.
Melissa Hortman’s mother and father, and the Hortman’s children changed the tone of the statements when they spoke Thursday, remembering them as attentive, loving parents and grandparents and people who impacted thousands of lives.
“It is impossible to realize the damage that has been done not only to our family, but to our society,” said Melissa’s father Harold Haluptzok, who repeatedly referred to her as his ”little girl.”
“I wish the perpetrator would have sat down and talked to Melissa about his political positions… if only he did that before he decided to kill them,” Haluptzok added.
Boelter pretended to be a police officer to gain access
Boelter went to Hortman’s home, wearing a tactical uniform and mask, about 3:30 a.m. on June 14, 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.
Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty. The Hortman family’s golden retriever was gravely injured in the shootings and had to be euthanized. Hoffman and his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against Boelter in April.
