Minnesota man gets life in prison for assassinating Democratic lawmaker

The Minnesota man who pleaded guilty to assassinating a top Democratic lawmaker and attempting to murder another was sentenced to life in federal prison on Thursday, 13 months after he disguised himself as a police officer and attacked the legislators at their homes.

Vance Boelter, 59, was given consecutive life sentences plus 40 years by U.S. District Court Judge John Tunheim in Minneapolis, local media reported. He pleaded guilty to six counts in June, including murder, stalking and gun-related charges, part of a plea deal that allowed him to avoid a potential death sentence.

The Minnesota U.S. Attorney’s office did not immediately reply to a request for comment.

Boelter, wearing a silicone mask, donned a police uniform and drove an SUV with a license plate that read, “Police,” as he carried out the late-night shootings on June 14, 2025.

After ringing the doorbell and gaining entry, Boelter fatally shot Melissa Hortman, the top Democrat in the Minnesota House of Representatives, and her husband Mark in their home. Earlier, he also shot and wounded state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette at their home a few miles away.

He also visited the homes of two other lawmakers that night, authorities said, but no one answered the door at one house and Boelter left the other home when a police officer, believing him to be a fellow officer, approached his car.

Investigators found a list of more than 45 other Minnesota officials in his car. Law enforcement captured Boelter two days later after the largest manhunt in state history.

The shootings highlighted the spike in political violence that has hit the U.S. in recent years.

During Thursday’s sentencing, several victims and family members spoke emotionally about the toll Boelter’s crimes had taken, according to the Minneapolis Star Tribune.

“I miss my mom, I miss my dad,” the daughter of the Hortmans, Sophie Hortman, said through tears. “I miss believing in the goodness of humanity.”

Mark Hortman’s father, J. Carroll Hortman, criticized the government for agreeing to a plea deal because it denied the family a trial “they were deserved,” the newspaper reported.

Boelter briefly apologized in court before he was sentenced.

“To every person I have caused loss, pain, heartache, confusion, sadness, shame, or loneliness, I am truly sorry,” he said, according to the Star Tribune.

(Reporting for Reuters by Joseph Ax. Editing by Rod Nickel and Aurora Ellis).