MINNEAPOLIS — The Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to killing a top Democratic lawmaker and her husband was sentenced to two consecutive terms of life in prison Thursday in federal court.
Vance Boelter, 59, agreed to plead guilty last month, almost a year after the Minneapolis-area attacks in which he stalked and killed former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and critically wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.
Boelter was also given an additional 480 months, or 40 years, in prison.
U.S. District Judge John R. Tunheim said it was “the longest sentence I have imposed after hearing thousands of cases over the years, but I do believe it is deserved.”
Boelter pleaded guilty to six counts so federal prosecutors would not seek the death penalty; instead, he agreed to serve two consecutive life sentences, plus 40 years — the same sentence handed down Thursday.
At the time, prosecutors and federal defenders said it was the maximum sentence he could be issued short of the death penalty.
“To every person I have caused loss, pain, heartache, confusion, sadness, shame or loneliness, I am truly sorry,” Boelter said in court Thursday before the sentence was handed down.
John and Yvette Hoffman both spoke in court, as did members of the Hortman and Hoffman families, including the Hortmans’ children, Sophie and Colin.
“These were acts of calculated violence,” John Hoffman said in court, reading a victim impact statement. “The defendant permanently changed my life. ... Every ordinary, boring moment forever altered by extraordinary violence.”
After the sentencing, Sophie and Colin said in a statement that they were grateful to those who had pursued justice.
“Nothing can replace what we have lost, and there are no words that can blunt our pain,” they said in a statement.
“Our parents were public figures and known to people, but to us they were just Mom and Dad. And they were the happiest people to just be alive. They were so excited every day — to do the big things and the little things, to be parents, to be friends, to be leaders, and so much more. They loved to be here on this Earth, and we will continue working to honor their legacy, as we know others will too.”
Boelter has admitted in court that he spent months identifying and stalking his targets before he drove to their homes in the middle of the night, disguised as a police officer, with the intention of killing them.
The killings sparked the largest police search in state history, causing panic, fear and increased security and precautions. Elected officials faced escalating threats and political polarization that many worried would lead to more violence and attacks.
A presentencing memorandum submitted to the federal court in late June was sealed early Thursday, along with objections to the report.
But prosecutors and Boelter’s defense team also submitted letters detailing their positions on the potential sentence.
“Vance Boelter committed an assault on democracy,” prosecutors wrote. “He shattered the lives of his victims. He terrified Minnesota’s public servants. He threatened police and pointed a gun at an officer. He viciously attacked the organs of Minnesota’s representative government.”
Boelter went to Hortman’s home, wearing a tactical uniform and a mask, about 3:30 a.m. June 14, 2025. He rang the doorbell and shouted that he was a police officer conducting a welfare check, according to court documents.
Mark Hortman answered the door. Boelter gave him a fake name and badge number before he asked him to summon Melissa Hortman to the door, as well. He shot Mark Hortman multiple times before he pushed into the house and shot the lawmaker as she fled upstairs. Melissa and Mark Hortman were killed.
Boelter had already visited the Hoffmans’ home that night, shooting and critically injuring the senator and his wife, according to police and court documents. Court documents said Boelter also went to two other lawmakers’ houses that night. In one instance, no one answered the door, and in the other, Boelter was spooked when a police officer approached him in his car believing he was another officer.
Boelter also faces state charges, including two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty. The Hortman family’s golden retriever was gravely injured in the shootings and had to be euthanized. Hoffman and his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against Boelter in April.
