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Vance Boelter, the man suspected of assassinating a Minnesota Democratic representative and her husband, was taken into custody Sunday after a two-day search.
As The New York Times reports, Boelter surrendered to police officers after he was found in the woods near his home outside of Green Isle, Minnesota. Boelter was reportedly armed when police confronted him, but no force was used during the arrest. As of Monday morning, June 16, Boelter was being held at the Hennepin County Jail in downtown Minneapolis.
Boelter was charged with two counts of second-degree murder for allegedly killing Democratic Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark in what Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz said “appears to be a politically motivated assassination.” Boelter is also facing two counts of attempted second-degree murder for shooting and wounding Democratic State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. (Boelter has yet to enter a plea in court.)
Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison said on social media that Boelter would also face first-degree murder charges, but those require a grand jury indictment first.
A few hours later, federal charges were also brought against Boelter, including two counts of murder, two firearms offenses, and two stalking charges. Joseph Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said (via NBC News) Boelter “stalked his victims like prey” and called his alleged crimes “the stuff of nightmares.”
He added, “He went to their homes, held himself out as a police officer, and shot them in cold blood.”
Boelter made his first court appearance Monday afternoon as well at the federal courthouse in St. Paul. The proceeding was largely formal and Boelter was appointed a public defender after saying he could not afford his own lawyer. He did not enter a plea and his next hearing is set for June 27.
Authorities said Boelter disguised himself as a police officer during the attacks, wearing a rubber mask and fake badge. Boelter allegedly attacked the Hoffmans first early Saturday morning, June 14, with their daughter calling the police about the shooting not long after 2 a.m. local time.
After learning that a politician was targeted, authorities sent officers to the nearby home of the Hortmans. Police said they arrived in time to see Boelter shoot Mark Hortman. They then exchanged gunfire with the suspect before he was able to flee. When officers entered the house, they found Melissa Hortman dead.
Upon finding and searching Boelter’s car, police recovered a stash of papers and a notebook that reportedly lists about 70 potential targets. These included numerous prominent Democratic politicians in Minnesota, including U.S. Senator Tina Smith and Representatives Ilhan Omar, Kelly Morrison, and Angie Craig. Other targets included politicians from neighboring states, civic and business leaders, and Planned Parenthood centers. Police also said some of the documents indicated that Boelter may have been planning to target the anti-Trump “No Kings” protests that took place on Saturday.
Boelter and his wife, Jenny, appeared to run a private security company. They also appeared to lead a Christian nonprofit called Revoformation Ministries, as well as a company called Red Lion Group that claimed to create jobs for people in the Democratic Republic of Congo. A friend of Boelter’s told the Times he voted for Donald Trump in the 2024 election and was particularly opposed to abortion.
This story was updated at 2:53 p.m. ET with information regarding Boelter’s federal charges and his first court appearance.
