Prosecutors won’t seek death penalty in Minnesota Democrat’s assassination
U.S. prosecutors said they will not seek the death penalty for Vance Luther Boelter, who is charged in the political assassination of Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and the attempted murders of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. The decision is part of a plea agreement reached ahead of a change-of-plea hearing in federal court in Minneapolis.
Prosecutors said the U.S. Attorney general authorized the choice not to pursue capital punishment. Boelter was indicted last year on six federal counts, including stalking and murder and other firearm-related charges. The shootings occurred in June 2025, with authorities describing them as politically motivated. Prosecutors have also said Boelter sent a handwritten confession letter to the FBI, acknowledging responsibility but not clearly explaining why he targeted the families.
Because Minnesota has had no death penalty since 1911 and federal capital cases require proof the killings were connected to another qualifying violent offense, prosecutors woudl have faced a higher burden to pursue a federal death sentence. A related lawsuit alleges John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman suffered lasting physical injuries, while their daughter, Hope hoffman, was not physically hurt but experienced severe emotional and psychological trauma.
U.S. prosecutors announced Wednesday that they would not seek the death penalty for the man charged with the political assassination of a high-ranking Minnesota House Democrat and her husband and the attempted murders of a state senator and his wife.
The agreement was part of a plea deal reached ahead of a change-of-plea hearing scheduled for Thursday morning in Minneapolis federal court.
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“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,” Assistant U.S. Attorneys Bradley M. Endicott and Matthew D. Forbes wrote in a letter to the court Wednesday.
Last year, Vance Boelter was indicted on six federal charges, including stalking, murder through the use of a firearm, and other charges related to the killings.
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, were allegedly shot and killed by Boelter in the early hours of June 14, 2025. That same night, state Sen. John Hoffman was shot nine times and his wife, Yvette, eight times, yet both survived the assassination attempt. Boelter allegedly came to the lawmakers’ doors disguised as a police officer while driving a fake squad car. He was captured the next day near his home in the rural town of Green Isle after an extensive search.
Minnesota ended capital punishment more than a century ago, repealing the death penalty in 1911, and no federal death penalty case has ever been brought in the state. For prosecutors to pursue a death sentence against Boelter under federal law, they would have needed to prove the killings were carried out in connection with another qualifying violent offense. The federal case against him was centered on allegations that he stalked the victims.
Authorities have repeatedly described the shootings as politically motivated. Alongside the federal charges filed last summer, prosecutors released what they said was a handwritten confession letter Boelter sent to FBI Director Kash Patel. While the document acknowledged responsibility for the attacks, it did not clearly explain the reasons for targeting the Hortman and Hoffman families.
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Months after the shooting, Hoffman returned to the Minnesota state House for the opening of the legislative session, where fellow lawmakers greeted him warmly. According to a lawsuit filed against Boelter in April, Hoffman suffered injuries that left him with lasting damage to his left arm and hand, as well as permanent harm to his digestive and urinary systems.
The lawsuit says Yvette Hoffman also sustained long-term physical impairments. Their daughter, Hope Hoffman, who was in the home at the time and placed the 911 call, was not physically injured but experienced severe emotional and psychological trauma in the aftermath of the attack.
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