State grand jury indicts Vance Boelter on first-degree murder charges, adds animal cruelty charge

Accused assassin Vance Boelter now faces the possibility of life in state prison alongside a possible federal death sentence after a Hennepin County jury indicted him on premeditated murder and other counts Thursday for allegedly carrying out a politically motivated rampage in June.

A Hennepin County grand jury indicted Boelter Thursday on two counts of first-degree murder, four counts of attempted-first degree murder and one county of felony animal cruelty. Boelter allegedly killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and attempted to kill state Sen. John Hoffman, his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Hope, at their respective homes on the morning of June 14.

The fourth charge of attempted first-degree murder was added against Boelter for his attempt to attack state Rep. Kristin Bahner, who was out of town when Boelter allegedly pounded on her door, disguised as a police officer.

“It does not matter that Rep. Bahner was not home at the time,” a release announcing the charges read. “Mr. Boelter took a clear substantial step by going to her door and engaging in the same pattern of behavior as he did at both the Hoffman and Hortman homes.”

He also faces a felony charge of animal cruelty for allegedly shooting the Hortmans’ dog, Gilbert, who had to be euthanized by a veterinarian. One additional count of impersonating a police officer was also charged.

“The damage done to the victims — those with us, those who were taken from us, and to our entire community — has opened wounds that will never heal," Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said in a statement announcing the charges.

In Minnesota, a conviction for first-degree murder carries a mandatory sentence of life in prison without parole. It can only be charged by a grand jury after it is shown evidence in the case to determine whether or not to indict the defendant. In Boelter’s case, the grand jury would have been asked to determine whether his crimes were premeditated.

Boelter, 57, surrendered to law enforcement June 15 in a Green Isle field roughly a mile from his residence following a 43-hour manhunt.

He was first charged with murder in Hennepin County, shortly after his arrest. His state case has largely been put on pause while the federal case moves forward.

Last month, federal prosecutors indicted Boelter on six counts including stalking Melissa Hortman and John Hoffman, killing Melissa and Mark Hortman and attempting to kill John, Yvette and Hope Hoffman. Boelter pleaded not guilty to the charges.

For the last several weeks, Boelter has been advancing arguments through interviews with the press about his political and religious motivations for the crimes.

A letter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel, allegedly written by Boelter, was found inside a Buick that Boelter bought off a man at a bus stop in Minneapolis after the shootings. The letter claims Boelter carried out the attacks after being approached by Gov. Tim Walz to kill U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith. He also claimed to be trained by “U.S. Military people off the books.”

Prosecutors and doctors have claimed the letter lacks any foundation in reality.

The killings have also prompted discussion around the law enforcement response to the active threat, including: information not being shared about a New Hope police officer interacting with Boelter outside the home of state Sen. Ann Rest between the shootings of the Hoffmans and the Hortmans; the decision by the Brooklyn Park Police Department to wait an hour to physically enter the home to check on Melissa Hortman after seeing Mark Hortman get shot in the entryway of the home and pulling him out to perform life-saving measures; and a shelter-in-place alert being sent to residents in Brooklyn Park and not north Minneapolis, despite law enforcement being aware that Boelter had returned to his rental home in the neighborhood.

Criticism has also swirled around the decision to not use a Capitol mass notification system that had been in place for several years to alert lawmakers about emergencies.

______