{"id":1521,"date":"2026-06-11T20:06:56","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:06:56","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1521"},"modified":"2026-06-11T20:06:56","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T20:06:56","slug":"man-pleads-guilty-to-killing-a-top-minnesota-democrat-and-her-husband-while-posing-as-an-officer","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/coloradospringsmoverss.com\/?p=1521","title":{"rendered":"Man pleads guilty to killing a top Minnesota Democrat and her husband while posing as an officer"},"content":{"rendered":"
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By TIM SULLIVAN and HANNAH FINGERHUT, Associated Press<\/strong><\/p>\n

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) \u2014 A Minnesota man who posed as a police officer and knocked on lawmakers\u2019 doors in the middle of the night,\u00a0killing the top Democrat in the state House\u00a0and her husband and wounding a state senator and his wife, pleaded guilty to murder on Thursday so that federal prosecutors would not seek\u00a0the death penalty.<\/p>

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The attacks by Vance Boelter, 58, sparked the largest search for a suspect in state history. They also reverberated far beyond Minnesota, as elected officials across the country feared that escalating threats and polarization could lead to more violence.<\/p>\n

There were brief sobs from the courtroom gallery on Thursday as family members of Melissa and Mark Hortman sat alongside Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, while the chilling events of June 14, 2025, were described in great detail.<\/p>\n

Disguised with a tactical uniform and realistic mask that covered his entire head, Boelter drove a fake police SUV with lights flashing to the legislators\u2019 homes. As his federal defense attorney questioned him about his actions, including whether he pressed a gun to Melissa Hortman\u2019s head and fired, Boelter repeatedly said a simple \u201cyes.\u201d The Hortman family\u2019s golden retriever was so\u00a0gravely injured\u00a0that it had to be euthanized.<\/p>\n

U.S. Attorney Daniel N. Rosen said in a press conference Thursday that they believed the case was charged appropriately and \u201cdeath penalty-eligible.\u201d He said the death penalty was only taken off the table with Boelter\u2019s agreement to the longest possible prison sentence: two consecutive life terms, plus 40 years, for the six federal charges.<\/p>\n