Vance Boelter faces federal sentencing for Minnesota lawmaker shootings
Vance Boelter pleaded guilty and the death penalty was taken off the table.
Vance Boelter, who pleaded guilty to stalking and shooting Democratic lawmakers in Minnesota, is expected to be sentenced to life in prison at a federal court hearing Thursday.
One of the shooting survivors, Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman, said in his victim impact statement Thursday that Boelter looked him in the eyes when he shot him nine times, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported.
Hoffman ended his powerful statement by asking for a significant sentence to show "violence will never triumph over justice," the Star Tribune said.
Boelter pleaded guilty last month to all six federal charges against him: two stalking counts, two murder counts and two federal firearm-shooting offenses.
Federal prosecutors said they told Boelter they would take the death penalty off the table if he pleaded guilty and served two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years.
"We now expect Vance Boelter will spend the rest of his natural life in prison without parole," U.S. Attorney for Minnesota Daniel Rosen said in a statement in June.
In court last month, Boelter admitted to gunning down Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark Hortman, at their house in the early hours of June 14, 2025.
That same day, Boelter drove to the home of Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and shot and wounded the lawmaker and his wife, Yvette, and attempted to shoot their daughter.
Prosecutors said Boelter, who disguised himself as a police officer, drove to the homes of two other state lawmakers only to find no one at those locations.
Boelter also faces state charges. He has pleaded not guilty and the Hennepin County Attorney's Office said last month that it would move forward with the state case.
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