Boelter charged with with murder, attempted murder; officers allegedly saw him kill one victim

Jeff Day, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 15, 2025

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The criminal complaint alleging that Vance Luther Boelter killed Minnesota House DFL leader Melissa Hortman and her husband and attempted to kill state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife was unsealed late Sunday night after he was apprehended in a field in Sibley County.

Boelter, 57 of Green Isle, Minn., stands charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office after a massive manhunt over two days in Minnesota.

The charges allege that Boelter was heavily armed and officers saw him shoot and kill Mark Hortman. The first 911 call was made by one of the children of John and Yvette Hoffman after they were shot multiple times.

Between the time that Champlin police arrived at the Hoffmans and the time Brooklyn Park police arrived at the Hortmans, 90 minutes passed.

According to the charges, Champlin police responded to the Hoffman residence at 2:05 a.m. after receiving the 911 call. Surveillance footage from the home showed a dark Ford SUV with police-lights in the driveway. It showed Boelter approach the door in a mask, wearing a blue shirt, police vest and badge. He was holding a gun as he approached the door. After he shot John and Yvette Hoffman, he fled in the SUV.

After Brooklyn Park police learned that the shooting victim in Champlin was a state legislator, officers were proactively sent to the Hortman residence.

They arrived at 3:35 a.m. to find the Ford SUV in the driveway. An officer watched as Boelter shot Mark Hortman through the front door.

After an exchange of gunfire, Boelter retreated inside the house and escaped. Officers found Melissa and Mark Hortman dead inside the home.

When police searched Boelter’s vehicle, they found three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9mm handgun and a list of names and addresses of public officials. Further searches in the area located a ballistic vest, a disassembled 9mm firearm, mask and gold police badge.

Four of the firearms recovered by police were purchased by Boelter.

A person who was familiar with Boelter also spoke with investigators and positively identified him as the man on the surveillance footage from the Hoffman’s home in Champlin.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office had issued a nationwide warrant for Boelter’s arrest but kept the warrant under seal until his capture.

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