ST. PAUL, Minn. — Minnesotans paid their respects to Melissa and Mark Hortman at the Minnesota Capitol on Friday as the couple received one of the state’s highest honors.

It’s a rare honor typically reserved for former governors, U.S. senators, and other high-ranking public officials. Melissa Hortman, a former House speaker and Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party House leader, is the first woman to receive such a tribute in the state’s history after she and her husband Mark were shot and killed earlier this month in their Brooklyn Park home. They are accompanied by their golden retriever, Gilbert, who was also shot and later euthanized.

Melissa Hortman was known as an unflashy, no-nonsense leader who took care of her team and wanted to get things done. Mark Hortman worked as a program manager at a tech firm in St. Louis Park and enjoyed mountain biking, competitive pool, home beer brewing and woodworking. They have two adult children, Colin and Sophie.

Gov. Tim Walz, one of Hortman’s closest political allies, was first through the door, along with his wife, Gwen Walz, to pay respect to the Hortmans.

They held hands in a prolonged moment of silence in front of the Hortmans’ caskets. A few at a time, lawmakers solemnly passed through. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a longtime friend of Hortman’s, cupped her hand over her mouth as she quietly cried in front of the caskets.

Mourners wiped tears from their eyes, made signs of the Cross or bowed their heads in quiet moments of grief before making their way upstairs to memorials outside the House chamber bearing hundreds of flowers, photos, candles and other mementos.

GOP House Speaker Lisa Demuth filed in shortly after Walz alongside her husband and state Rep. Jim Nash. Demuth, who worked closely with Hortman this year in the tied House, wiped tears from her eyes and embraced her husband.

Sheryll Mennicke, 69, from St. Paul, said she came to pay respects to Hortman, who she called a major advocate for people with disabilities, like Mennicke’s son.

Mennicke’s son, Jacob, had cerebral palsy, epilepsy and other disabilities. He died two years ago from respiratory complications at age 31, she said..

Mennicke recalled bringing her son to the Capitol in his wheelchair years ago and running into Hortman on the front lawn.

“She stopped and talked to us about what was going on. She said, how is your son, and how are the services? And can you think of other things the state could do to help?” Mennicke said. “But it was just the way that she really listened. She would ask these open ended questions, and then would just listen.”

Meanwhile, the alleged shooter, Vance Boelter, made a brief court appearance in federal court Friday morning in St. Paul, where proceedings were continued after his public defender Manny Atwal revealed that he has remained on suicide watch since his June 15 arrest and raised concerns about conditions at the Sherburne County Jail.

Atwal said Boelter has been placed in a cell where the lights are on 24 hours a day, and he sleeps on a mat while the doors next to him slam, so it’s noisy. It’s been difficult to speak with him, she said, because he is so sleep deprived.

“Your honor, I haven’t slept in 12 to 14 days,” Boelter told Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko. “I’d also like to state I’ve never been suicidal, and I’m not suicidal now.”

Boelter was dressed in a green sleeveless garment commonly known as a suicide gown. Assistant U.S. Attorney Harry Jacobs, who is assisting in the prosecution of the case, did not object to continuing proceedings, and said prosecutors also shared concerns about the conditions at the jail. The next steps, including whether Boelter would be moved, were not discussed during the hearing. Boelter will return to court on July 3.

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