Man who killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman gets life in prison
The man who pleaded guilty to the murders of top Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, at their Minneapolis-area home in June 2025 was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.
Vance Boelter, 59, was sentenced to two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years in prison after he pleaded guilty to six federal charges related to what prosecutors said were politically motivated attacks last year, during which he also critically injured Democratic Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, on the same day.
Boelter was sentenced after he pleaded guilty to two charges of stalking, two of murder and two of federal firearms offenses earlier this month in order to avoid the death penalty. The Department of Justice had initially left open the possibility before deciding against a capital punishment recommendation.
The DOJ said the underlying stalking charges against Boelter would likely not make him eligible for the death penalty, which stoked an outpouring of frustration from the victim’s families, during Thursday’s emotional sentencing hearing.
J. Carroll Hortman, Mark’s father, said his family was deprived of the “trial they deserved” and decried acting Attorney General Todd Blanche for the death penalty decision.
The hearing included testimony from Jon and Yvette and the Hortmans’ two children, Sophie and Colin, along with other members of the families and a host of Minnesota lawmakers.
“I miss my mom, I miss my dad,” Sophie, the 28-year-old daughter of Melissa and Mark, said after recounting a story about the loss of the family’s golden retriever, who also died in the shooting. “I miss believing in the goodness of humanity.”
Her brother, Colin, 30, described the pain he felt without his parents’ presence at his wedding. John and Yvette recounted the daily trauma they endure since the attempt on their lives.
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Sydney Carruth is a breaking news reporter covering national politics and policy for MS NOW. You can send her tips from a non-work device on Signal at SydneyCarruth.46 or follow her work on X and Bluesky.
