Welcome to jail life, Vance Boelter
Vance Boelter, 57, stands charged in both federal and state court related to the murders of Minnesota Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in their Brooklyn Park home, and the assault of Minnesota Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in their Champlin home during the early morning hours of Saturday, June 14.
Boelter made an appearance in federal court at 11:00 a.m. today. The appearance was supposed to be for a Preliminary Hearing to establish probable cause, and a Detention Hearing to determine whether Boelter would be afforded any chance of bail in his federal case. (A $5 million bail remains in place in Boelter’s state case.)
Those hearings never took place, as Boelter’s defense attorney, Manny Atwal, made a motion for a one-week continuance because Boelter was having difficulty sleeping in the close observation setting he is housed in at the Sherburne County Jail. Atwal added that there were lights on 24/7, there were doors slamming, and other inmates causing problems in the unit where his cell was. She said this made it difficult to communicate with Boelter.
Boelter told Magistrate Douglas Micko that he hadn’t slept in 12-14 days, and that he wasn’t suicidal.
In a rather surprising development, Assistant US Attorney Harry Jacobs made no objection to the motion. As such, Magistrate Micko found “good cause” to grant the continuance for one week, and scheduled the hearing for July 3 at 2:30 p.m.
Hopefully that’s the end of such delays. Boelter was alert and attentive, and able to answer Magistrate Micko’s questions without hesitation. Someone experiencing significant sleep deprivation doesn’t have those abilities — they are a walking zombie. I understand the court’s desire not to give any reason for appeal throughout the case, but further delays based on Boelter’s jail experiences would be unwise.
The US Marshals had led Boelter into the courtroom wearing a green suicide gown, which is common for a high-profile detainee in custody for crimes as serious as murder. The housing unit and the level of observation for an inmate in Boelter’s situation is entirely up to the jail that is tasked with holding him. While a judge can request changes to the inmate’s status be made, the ultimate decision is up to the jail, which has the responsibility to keep Boelter safe and to ensure he gets to court.
Early on in the investigation, it had been revealed that Boelter had texted a friend before his arrest saying words to the effect, “I’ll probably be dead soon.” Given that revelation, and the high-profile nature of the case, Sherburne County is well justified in keeping Boelter in a high observation unit. One can only imagine the second-guessing that would go on if Boelter’s housing status changed and he was allowed to harm himself.
Boelter should get used to his situation, and get used to the fact that cozy eight-hour night sleeps are a thing of his past. From here on out, there will be lights on much of the night, doors slamming, awful smells, and troublesome cellmates. Such is life in a jail, and Boelter has no one but himself to blame for the situation he finds himself in.
The court would be wise to get used to Boelter’s situation as well.
“Nip it in the bud” and get on with things.
Update: Friday afternoon, Sherburne County Sheriff Joel Brott issued a statement regarding Boelter’s claims of being unable to sleep. This should “put to rest” future delays. Well done, Sheriff!
