By Riley Moser, Anthony Bettin
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Minnesota (WCCO) — Vance Boelter pleaded guilty to the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses on Thursday as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors.
At a 10 a.m. hearing, Boelter pleaded guilty to six counts against him. Under the terms of the plea deal, Boelter’s recommended sentence will be two consecutive terms of life imprisonment followed by 40 years. The judge approved the plea deal and ordered an expedited sentencing, hoping to have it scheduled before the end of July. Boelter’s final sentence is up to the court, but the judge indicated the court is likely to accept the recommendation.
Boelter, 58, previously pleaded not guilty to two counts of stalking, two counts of murder and two counts of firearms violations in the June 14, 2025, shootings that killed former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
Earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Justice said it would not seek the death penalty against Boelter, which, according to a Wednesday letter from U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen, was part of the proposed plea agreement.
“The Attorney General has authorized and directed the government not to seek the death penalty against Defendant Vance Luther Boelter in accordance with the terms delineated in a proposed plea agreement,” the letter reads, in part.
Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder and one count each of felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating an officer. A guilty verdict for one of the first-degree murder charges carries a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
The Hoffman family has filed a lawsuit against Boelter accusing him of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and negligence per se, according to the civil complaint.
John and Yvette Hoffman appeared at Boelter’s Thursday hearing, along with Melissa and Mark Hortman’s children Sophie and Colin.
Rosen calls Boelter “brutally murderous,” says dismissing death penalty was contingent on plea agreement Rosen and other federal officials responded to Boelter’s change of plea at a news conference about an hour after Thursday’s hearing ended.
Rosen called political violence “a scourge plaguing America in our times,” labeled Boelter “brutally murderous” and called the shootings he committed “among the worst political violence crimes that we have seen.”
The decision not to seek the death penalty was contingent on Boelter accepting the proposed plea agreement, Rosen said.
“That was the only circumstance under which the death penalty was off the table,” he said.
Had Boelter rejected the deal, Rosen is confident his office would have successfully secured a death sentence, he said.
Rosen added his office felt no pressure from either the approaching one-year mark since the killings or staffing issues, which he said have been resolved.
“This office is more staffed today than it was on the day that I arrived,” he said. “There is absolutely no staffing issue that affects any case in this office.”
State case against Boelter will continue, Hennepin County Attorney’s Office says After Boelter pleaded guilty in federal court, the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announced its case against him will move forward.
At the state level, Boelter is charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating a police officer.
“Mr. Boelter will sit in a Hennepin County courtroom and be held accountable for his actions. We are in contact with the U.S. Attorney’s Office about transferring Mr. Boelter into our custody,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “This was a devastating wave of targeted political violence that shocked our state and the nation. My thoughts are with the Hoffmans, and with Mark and Melissa’s family and loved ones as the federal phase ends and we approach state prosecution.”
Moriarty’s office noted that state sentences are not eligible for presidential pardons.
Conor Wight and Nick Lentz contributed to this report.
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