Gunman who killed Melissa Hortman sentenced to life without parole

Vance Boelter, the man who killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, and shot Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, will spend the rest of his life in prison. 

Boelter was sentenced this morning in federal court in Minneapolis to two consecutive life terms plus 40 years for the politically motivated attacks carried out on June 14 of 2025. Boelter pled guilty to the shootings this past June in an effort to avoid the federal death penalty. The sentence was handed down by U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim.

A packed courtroom of family and friends of the Hortmans and Hoffmans attended the hearing. Victims and family offered passionate victim impact statements, directed at Boelter, seated in a bright orange prison jumpsuit, flanked by a cadre of U.S. Marshals. 

It was the statement of Sophie Hortman, the daughter of Melissa and Mark Hortman, that left many in tears, including several journalists. Instead of focusing on her parents, she recalled the final moments of the family dog, Gilbert, who Boelter also shot. 

She told of how she and her brother – already knowing their parents were dead – spent their final moments with the family dog and how he licked their faces looking as if he was crying before they had to make the heartbreaking decision to have to put down Gilbert. 

“My brother pulled away his hands, sticky with blood, and he said ‘I’ve got to go wash off this blood – I don’t know if it’s Gilbert’s or Mom or Dad’s,’” said Sophie Hortman. 

One U.S. Marshal also appeared to wipe away tears hearing Sophie Hortman’s tale.

“I miss my mom, I miss my dad, I miss believing in the goodness of humanity,” said the grieving daughter.

“This killer left a primal wound on every member of our family,” said J. Carroll Hortman, the father of Mark Hortman. “He charged into their peaceful home, and he killed every living being in there.”

Choosing to refer to Boelter as “the defendant,” John Hoffman was stern in his statement to the court.

“The defendant looked me in the eyes and pulled the trigger nine times, he looked at my wife Yvette and pulled the trigger eight times,” said Hoffman. 

The senator said his life has been altered beyond repair.

“Before June 14 I was a gifted drummer, but I cannot drum like I used to,” said Hoffman. “Every time I get behind the drums, I’m not reminded of the music I love, but of what was taken from me.” 

John Hoffman said every aspect of his life, down to sleeping and going to the bathroom, has been physically altered due to the shooting. 

Yvette Hoffman didn’t focus on the physical, but the psychological. 

“The emotional wreckage of having to fight with him (Boelter); having a gun to my side constantly shooting me is something I will never get over. I genuinely believed I was going to die,” said Yvette Hoffman, who displayed emotions of both grief and anger. “I don’t answer my door anymore unless it’s family. Is it really the Amazon driver? Is it really FedEx? Is it really the pizza delivery driver?” 

Hope Hoffman, the daughter of the Hoffmans, and who was also in the home at the time of the ambush, said Boelter was fueled by a hate that is a byproduct of today’s political climate. 

“I don’t want to boil this down to just hate. Yes, I hate him (Boelter), but I hate the system that had no guardrails to prevent this.” 

“I could never have imagined what last year would bring. Never would I have imagined an assassin at my door for doing the job I love,” said Rep. Kristin Bahner (DFL-Maple Grove), who was also targeted, but was not at her home when Boelter attempted to ambush her. “You traded on my trust for law enforcement. I cannot fathom why I was spared and she (Hortman) was not. We lock doors we never locked.”

DFL House leader, Rep. Zach Stephenson (Coon Rapids) said the killings of the Hortmans and serious woundings of the Hoffmans has changed public servants in Minnesota forever. 

“Our state capitol has weapons screening; our home addresses have been scrubbed from public sites,” said Stephenson. “That is part of the impact of this crime. (This crime) sent a message of terror to everyone who serves in public life.”

Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, both DFL legislators at the time of the shootings – Hortman the former Minnesota House Speaker and DFL House leader at the time of the killings – were targeted by Boelter for their political affiliation. The killings and assaults took place at the victims’ homes in the north metro in the early morning hours of that Saturday, which was also the date of the nationwide No Kings Day protests. The date was significant because it was President Donald Trump’s birthday and a military parade was planned in his honor, which spawned the counter No Kings rallies. 

Some Minnesota No Kings rallies that day were canceled due to the killings and subsequent manhunt for Boelter. 

Boelter impersonated law enforcement during the commission of the crimes, which is how he gained access to the victims’ homes. 

It was discovered during the manhunt and subsequent investigations that Boelter planned to target up to 70 Democrats including Gov. Tim Walz, Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan, Atty. Gen. Keith Ellison, Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith, Reps. Ilhan Omar, Angie Craig and others.

Boelter, who turned 59 today, offered a brief statement, saying he was sorry to whomever he caused harm.