The Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to the assassination of prominent lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband will spend the rest of his life in prison.
Vance Boelter received two consecutive life sentences plus an additional 40 years.
Boelter was sentenced on Thursday, more than a year after the politically motivated attacks.
In June, Boelter pleaded guilty to six charges stemming from the killings of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as the shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, both of whom survived the attack. Boelter pleaded guilty in order to avoid the death penalty and instead accepted the maximum sentence.
The survivors of the shooting provided powerful statements in court on Thursday ahead of his sentencing.
“The defendant looked me in the eyes and pulled the trigger,” Hoffman said. “The defendant looked at my wife and chose to do the same. My wife and I now live with injuries. We live with our bodies remembering the gunfire.”
On June 14, 2025, Boelter traveled to the Hoffmans’ home in Champlin, Minnesota. By posing as a police officer, Boelter convinced the couple to answer their door. He then repeatedly shot the senator and his wife and also attempted to shoot their daughter, Hope Hoffman.
Boelter then traveled to the homes of two other Minnesota elected officials, only to discover that those potential victims weren’t home at the time. He next drove to the home of state Speaker Emerita and Rep. Melissa Hortman, where he repeatedly shot and killed her and her husband.
The murders sparked the largest manhunt in Minnesota’s history. After a two-day search, he was arrested near his family residence in Green Isle.
Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension Superintendent Drew Evans said Boelter’s “evil acts” created “unspeakable harm” and terrorized the entire state.
Boelter previously admitted in court in June that he spent months researching how to carry out the attacks, identifying and stalking victims before going to their homes with the intent to kill.
Boelter was a father of five and pastor known for his deeply conservative beliefs, a Christian man whom his friends never considered an extremist.