Minnesota Grand Jury Indicts Vance Boelter in Fatal Lawmaker Shootings

A Hennepin County grand jury has indicted Vance Boelter on eight charges over the 14 June shootings that killed Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and seriously wounded Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette. The attack, which prosecutors describe as coordinated, also targeted the couple’s daughter, Hope, and Representative Kristin Bahner. The indictment includes two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, felony cruelty to an animal for killing the Hortman family dog, and impersonating a police officer. A conviction for first-degree murder in Minnesota carries a mandatory life sentence without the possibility of parole, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. Boelter already faces federal charges of capital murder, stalking and firearms offences related to the same incident and has entered a not-guilty plea. The U.S. Attorney’s Office has indicated the federal trial may not begin until 2026 or 2027; the next federal court appearance is scheduled for 25 November. State prosecution will resume once Boelter is released from federal custody.