Suspect pleads guilty to slaying Minnesota lawmaker, husband

A 58-year-old man admitted in court Thursday that he murdered Melissa and Mark Hortman in June 2025. Melissa was a former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives. Vance Luther Boelter pleaded guilty to charges of stalking, shooting, and murdering the couple, according to the Department of Justice. Boelter also admitted to stalking and shooting another local politician. State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, suffered severe gunshot wounds, the DOJ noted.

Prosecutors accused Boelter of targeting the homes of Democratic state lawmakers while disguised as a police officer in the middle of the night. He admitted to wearing black body armour with a silicone mask and identifying himself as law enforcement to gain entry to their homes. Police later found documents in Boelter’s car with names and addresses of many other Democratic state lawmakers, court documents showed. He initially pleaded not guilty to the charges back in August.

What made Boelter change his plea? The shooter agreed to plead guilty in exchange for two consecutive life imprisonment terms with an additional 40 years. U.S. District Judge John Tunheim expected the court would accept the deal and would seek expedited sentencing before summer's end, Courthouse News Service reported.

The plea change came days after the Justice Department decided it would not seek the death penalty in Boelter’s case. Prosecutors said that the plea deal subjected him to the longest possible prison sentence for his crimes.