Feds charge Boelter in ‘political assassination’ of Minnesota legislator

The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s Office filed a criminal complaint against Vance Luther Boelter, 57, Sunday night following his arrest near his home in Green Isle, MN.

The complaint charges Boelter with six criminal counts related to the “political assassination” that Boelter carried out against members of the Minnesota Legislature early Saturday morning. 

The complaint included two counts of stalking Representative Melissa Hortman and Senator John Hoffman; two counts of murder, for the murders of Rep. Hortman and her husband Mark in their Brooklyn Park home; and two counts of firearms offenses related to the shootings of the Hortmans and the Hoffmans (in their Champlin home).

On Monday morning at about 10:30 a.m., the FBI took custody of Boelter, who was being held at the Hennepin County Jail on state murder charges. That custody transfer facilitated Boelter’s appearance in federal court Monday afternoon at 1:30 p.m. Boelter was also scheduled to appear in Hennepin County District Court on a first appearance Monday afternoon. 

Coordination between the federal and state courts regarding which prosecution will take precedence and where Boelter will be held will need to occur as the cases progress. It was somewhat surprising to see state authorities giving up physical custody of Boelter, and it will be interesting to learn what discussions on that subject took place and at what levels.

At 11:00 a.m., Minnesota’s Acting U.S. Attorney, Joseph Thompson, held a press conference with state and federal law enforcement representatives. Thompson described Boelter’s actions as “political assassination” and the “stuff of nightmares.” Thompson confirmed that the federal murder charges did carry a potential death penalty in federal court, but that it was too early to tell if that would be pursued in this case.

Thompson also thanked the law enforcement community for its intensive and coordinated work over the past two days to collect evidence and locate and arrest Boelter. Thompson described the effort as the “largest manhunt in Minnesota’s history.”

The federal complaint and affidavit totaled 23 pages and contained information not previously disclosed by authorities. Some of that information included:

• Boelter had collected data in several notebooks on dozens of public officials and had taken this action “with the intent to kill, injure, harass, and intimidate Minnesota elected officials.”
• Boelter traveled to four legislators’ homes early Saturday morning, driving a police squad car-like vehicle he owned as a security officer, and dressed in tactical gear and a mask designed to look like a police officer. Boelter only made contact with the Hoffmans and Hortmans. 
• After shooting the Hoffmans in their Champlin residence, Boelter travelled to the Maple Grove residence of another legislator and rang the doorbell. Fortunately, that legislator was not home. Boelter then travelled to the New Hope residence of yet another legislator and parked down the block. A New Hope police officer who was conducting a welfare check of that legislator’s home saw Boelter as he sat in what the officer thought was an unmarked police vehicle. Boelter was able to leave the area before New Hope police connected him as a suspicious person. Sadly, after leaving the New Hope location, Boelter made it to the Hortman residence in Brooklyn Park. Boelter murdered the Hortmans as the Brooklyn Park police arrived to conduct a welfare check there. Boelter fled the residence on foot, leaving his vehicle running in the driveway. In it, officers recovered five guns and other evidence identifying Boelter as the suspect.
• Boelter contacted several family members in a group chat at 6:18 a.m. Saturday, saying, “Dad went to war last night…I don’t wanna say more because I don’t wanna implicate anybody.”
• At about the same time, he texted his wife, “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation…”
• At about 7:00 a.m., Boelter approached a stranger near a bus stop in Minneapolis, just blocks from a North Minneapolis home Boelter had rented a room in for several years. The stranger agreed to sell Boelter a car and an electric bike. 
• At about 2:30 a.m. on Sunday, a citizen reported seeing who he believed was Boelter, riding an electric bike in the vicinity of Boelter’s Green Isle residence. Upon further investigation, law enforcement located the car that Boelter had purchased, abandoned on Hwy 25 in the vicinity of the electric bike sighting. Law enforcement found a cowboy hat Boelter was seen wearing in surveillance video earlier on Saturday, and a handwritten letter written to the FBI. The letter was said to be written by “Dr. Vance Luther Boelter,” and in it he admitted to being “the shooter at large in Minnesota involved in the 2 shootings the morning of Saturday June 15^th.”

Law enforcement responded back to the area of Boelter’s Green Isle home late Sunday evening after a neighbor reported a suspicious person had tripped a trail camera on his property. Law enforcement used drones to locate Boelter in a field as he tried to crawl out of the area. He surrendered without incident at approximately 9:10 p.m.