Vance Boelter received two life sentences followed by 40 years in prison Thursday for the 2025 shootings that killed former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark while wounding Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.
U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim called the sentence the longest he has imposed in thousands of cases. Boelter, who turns 59 on Thursday, pleaded guilty in June to six federal charges and admitted carrying out the June 14, 2025, attacks in Champlin and Brooklyn Park that also targeted the Hoffmans' daughter Hope.
Prosecutors said the sentence ensures Boelter will never be free. Acting U.S. Attorney General Todd Blanche stated that the defendant will spend the rest of his life behind bars for violence against public servants and their families. The Hennepin County Attorney's Office plans to pursue state murder charges, and the Hoffman family has filed a civil lawsuit.
Before sentencing, Boelter apologized to those he harmed. Members of the Hortman and Hoffman families described lasting trauma, including post-traumatic stress disorder and changes to daily security. Lawmakers Kristin Bahner and Zack Stephenson also addressed the court about the impact on public servants.
