{"id":2453530,"date":"2025-06-29T13:55:02","date_gmt":"2025-06-29T17:55:02","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tragedy-after-tragedy-murdered-minnesota-lawmakers-dog-also-dead\/"},"modified":"2025-06-29T13:55:45","modified_gmt":"2025-06-29T17:55:45","slug":"tragedy-after-tragedy-murdered-minnesota-lawmakers-dog-also-dead","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tragedy-after-tragedy-murdered-minnesota-lawmakers-dog-also-dead\/","title":{"rendered":"Tragedy After Tragedy: Murdered Minnesota Lawmakers&#8217; Dog Also Dead"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">18<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Ftragedy-after-tragedy-murdered-minnesota-lawmakers-dog-also-dead%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2453530&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>Minnesota Democratic State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband were tragically murdered in their home in Brooklyn Park. Their golden retriever, Gilbert, was also shot during this incident and, sadly, had to be euthanized shortly after due to his injuries. hortman&#8217;s children made the tough decision to put Gilbert down, as he was not expected to survive.Rep. Erin Koegel shared this heartbreaking news, highlighting the bond between Hortman and her dog, whom she had trained as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/tokyos-billion-dollar-olympic-stadium-nearly-empty-for-muted-opening-ceremonies\/\" title=\"Tokyo\u2019s Billion-Dollar Olympic Stadium Nearly Empty For \u2018Muted\u2019 Opening Ceremonies\">service animal<\/a>, although Gilbert proved to be more suited as a family pet. The couple had a deep involvement with Helping Paws, an association that trains service animals. Following the incident, the accused shooter, Vance Boelter, was charged with <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/man-received-a-paycheck-for-15-years-despite-never-showing-up-for-work-authorities-say\/\" title=\"Man Received A Paycheck For 15 Years Despite Never Showing Up For Work, Authorities Say\">multiple crimes<\/a>, including murder; tho, no charges were immediately filed regarding Gilbert&#8217;s death.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<section> \t\t\t\t<script>console.log(\"ad slot (AC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC1)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC2)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC3)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (IC4)\")<\/script><script>console.log(\"ad slot (REP_0)\")<\/script><\/p>\n<p>Days after Minnesota Democratic State Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband were murdered, their dog also died from his injuries.<\/p>\n<p>Gilbert, the family&rsquo;s golden retriever, had been <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/gunman-opens-fire-at-church-christmas-concert-police-rush-to-intervene\/\" title=\"Gunman Opens Fire at Church Christmas Concert, Police Rush To Intervene\">fatally shot<\/a> the night Hortman and her husband were assassinated at their home in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.foxnews.com\/us\/dog-shot-during-minnesota-lawmakers-murder-put-down-days-after-attack\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Fox News<\/a> reported on June 17.<\/p>\n<p>Hortman&rsquo;s children later had Gilbert euthanized.<\/p>\n<p>Minnesota Democratic State Rep. Erin Koegel <a href=\"https:\/\/x.com\/ErinKoegel\/status\/1934416804451131876\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">d the news<\/a> about Gilbert&rsquo;s death on the <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\" >social media platform<\/a> X.<\/p>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p> <script type=\"text\/javascript\"> \t\t\tif ( getCookie( \"ff_subbed\" ) ) { \t\t\t\tdocument.getElementById(\"stnvideo\").remove() \t\t\t} else { \t\t\t\tdocument.addEventListener(\"DOMContentLoaded\", function() { \t\t\t\t\tfunction loadScript(src) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst script=document.createElement(\"script\"); \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.src=src; \t\t\t\t\t\tscript.async=true; \t\t\t\t\t\tdocument.body.appendChild(script); \t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\tfunction findPreviousParagraph(selector, x) { \t\t\t\t\t\tconst targetElement=document.querySelector(selector); \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!targetElement) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Target element not found.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Get all <\/p>\n<p> elements in order as they appear in the document \t\t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphs=Array.from(document.querySelectorAll(\"p\"));  \t\t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the index of the last <\/p>\n<p> before the target element \t\t\t\t\t\tlet targetIndex=paragraphs.findIndex(p=> p.compareDocumentPosition(targetElement) & Node.DOCUMENT_POSITION_PRECEDING);  \t\t\t\t\t\tif (targetIndex===-1 || targetIndex <x) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.warn(\"Not enough paragraphs before the target element.\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\treturn null; \t\t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\treturn paragraphs[targetIndex - x]; \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Set up IntersectionObserver \t\t\t\t\tfunction observeElement(element) { \t\t\t\t\t\tif (!element) return;  \t\t\t\t\t\tconst observer=new IntersectionObserver( \t\t\t\t\t\t\t(entries)=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tentries.forEach(entry=> { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tif (entry.isIntersecting) { \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tconsole.log(\"Paragraph is now visible:\", entry.target.textContent.trim()); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tloadScript(\"https:\/\/embed.sendtonews.com\/player3\/embedcode.js?fk=s28Az7AY\"); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.disconnect(); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t\t\t\t\t}, \t\t\t\t\t\t\t{ threshold: 0.5 } \/\/ Adjust threshold as needed \t\t\t\t\t\t);  \t\t\t\t\t\tobserver.observe(element); \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\t\/\/ Find the 1st paragraph before #stnvideo and observe it \t\t\t\t\tlet paragraphToObserve=findPreviousParagraph(\"#stnvideo\", 2); \t\t\t\t\tobserveElement(paragraphToObserve); \t\t\t\t}); \t\t\t} \t\t<\/script> <\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Her children had to put down him after learning their parents had been murdered,&rdquo; Koegel wrote on June 15. &ldquo;Gilbert wasn&rsquo;t going to survive. Melissa loved that dog. She trained him as a service dog. He flunked out of school and she was so happy he failed so he could stay! She needed him in heaven with her.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Hortman had tried training Gilbert, who was four years old when he passed, as a service dog, according to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.startribune.com\/melissa-hortman-dog-gilbert-shooting-mark-hortman-minnesota\/601374091\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Minnesota Star Tribune<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>She and her husband, Mark, volunteered with Helping Paws, an organization that connects <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/miniature-horses-may-now-fly-service-animals-flights-says-federal-government\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">service animals<\/a> with people who need them. Volunteers like the Hortmans help train the dogs.<\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"twitter-tweet\">\n<p dir=\"ltr\" lang=\"en\">Tim Walz&rsquo;s appointee also allegedly shot Rep Melissa Hortman&rsquo;s rescue dog, per NYP <a href=\"https:\/\/t.co\/ps8vuWO7x8\">pic.twitter.com\/ps8vuWO7x8<\/a><\/p>\n<p>&mdash; Libs of TikTok (@libsoftiktok) <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/libsoftiktok\/status\/1934636366710923265?\">June 16, 2025<\/a><\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"https:\/\/platform.twitter.com\/widgets.js\" charset=\"utf-8\"><\/script><\/p>\n<p>When Gilbert arrived as their new trainee, the Hortmans quickly realized he wasn&rsquo;t cut out for the job.<\/p>\n<p>He &ldquo;was just too happy-go-lucky,&rdquo; Alyssa Golob, executive director of Helping Paws, said of the golden retriever.<\/p>\n<p>So, the Hortmans kept Gilbert as a <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/beyond-claims-migrants-eating-pets-haitian-wave-causing-real-provable-problems-springfield-ohio\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">family pet<\/a> instead.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;When he dropped out, I think that was probably her happiest moment of the whole training,&rdquo; Minnesota Democratic State Rep. Jamie Long remarked.<\/p>\n<p>Long said that Melissa had once told him in jest, &ldquo;She loved Mark Hortman, but the true love of her life was Gilbert.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>Helping Paws d a statement to following the Hortmans&rsquo; passing.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;Our deepest sympathies go out to their families, their loved ones, and everyone grieving this unimaginable loss,&rdquo; the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/\/p\/1AY9nH9m6Y\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">post<\/a> read. &ldquo;We remember Melissa for her kindness, compassion, and unwavering commitment to making the world better &mdash; both in public office and through her work with Helping Paws.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" style=\"border: none; overflow: hidden;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/plugins\/post.php?href=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.facebook.com%2Fhelpingpawsmn%2Fposts%2Fpfbid0xBmfiiCnba9xGCNNks58vpfFKzYghtQHrbZzZ6WHdKCWjgQCWYhfyWCUYWRqVGPtl&amp;show_text=true&amp;width=500\" width=\"500\" height=\"711\" frameborder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p>On June 14, Hortman, her husband, and Gilbert were fatally shot by alleged assassin <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/chilling-photos-show-alleged-minnesota-assassin-former-walz-appointee-impersonating-law-enforcement\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Vance Boelter<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>After his arrest, Boelter stood charged with two counts of stalking, two counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/murder-suspect-utah-no-kings-shooting-trump-hating-antifa-loving-leftist\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">murder<\/a>, and two counts of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/trudeau-officially-freezes-handguns\/\" title=\"Trudeau Officially Freezes Handguns\">firearm-related crimes<\/a> in federal court, according to Fox News.<\/p>\n<p>No charges were immediately filed against Boelter for Gilbert&rsquo;s death, according to the Star.<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;We&rsquo;re in a position here where we&rsquo;re waiting on some investigative work to be completed. When that&rsquo;s finished, we&rsquo;ll assess which charges to add, should the evidence warrant additional,&rdquo; Hennepin County Attorney&rsquo;s Office spokesman Daniel Borgertpoepping commented.<\/p>\n<div style=\"position: relative;\">\n<div class=\"ff-fancy-header-container\"> \t\t\t \t<\/div>\n<div class=\"entry-submit-correction inner-content\">\n<div class=\"correction-form\">\n<form style=\"display: none;\">\n<div class=\"sc-name-field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* Name<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"name\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<div class=\"sc--field\"> \t\t\t\t\t\t<label>* <\/label> \t\t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"text\" name=\"\" required> \t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<label>* Message<\/label> \t\t\t\t\t<br \/> \t\t\t\t\t<textarea name=\"message\" required><\/textarea> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"required-message\" style=\"display: none; padding-bottom: 15px;\">* All fields are required.<\/div>\n<p> \t\t\t\t\t<input type=\"submit\" value=\"Submit\" onclick=\"event.preventDefault(); firefly_sc();\"> \t\t\t\t\t \t\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n<div class=\"firefly-sc-confirm\" style=\"display: none;\">Success!<\/div>\n<\/p><\/form>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p> \t\t<script> \t\t\tfunction firefly_sc() { \t\t\t\tif( typeof window.captchaPublicKey==typeof undefined ){ \t\t\t\t\tconsole.error('window.captchaPublicKey is not defined'); \t\t\t\t} \t\t\t\tgrecaptcha.execute( window.captchaPublicKey, { action: 'submit_correction' } ).then( function( token ) { \t\t\t\t\tvar opts={ \t\t\t\t\t\taction:    'firefly_sc_submit', \t\t\t\t\t\tname:      document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"name\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\t:     document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tmessage:   document.querySelector( '.entry-submit-correction [name=\"message\"]' ).value, \t\t\t\t\t\tpost_id:   firefly_post_id, \t\t\t\t\t\tcap_token: token \t\t\t\t\t}  \t\t\t\t\tvar inputs=[ 'name', '', 'message' ];  \t\t\t\t\tfor( var i=0; i <inputs.length; i++ ) if( ! 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Melissa Hortman and her husband, their dog also succumbed to injuries. Gilbert, the family&#8217;s golden retriever, was shot on the same night as the couple&#8217;s assassination at their Brooklyn Park home, according to Fox News on June 17. Subsequently, Hortman&#8217;s children made the decision to euthanize Gilbert<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2453531,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Gilbert.jpg","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[33651],"tags":[8739,3673,5698,4133,13242],"class_list":["post-2453530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-the-western-journal","tag-dog","tag-lawmakers","tag-minnesota","tag-news","tag-tragedy"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.westernjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/06\/Gilbert.jpg","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2453530"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2453534,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2453530\/revisions\/2453534"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2453531"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2453530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2453530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2453530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}