MINNEAPOLIS — Vance Boelter is scheduled to be sentenced in federal court on Thursday, following his guilty plea to six federal counts for the 2025 attacks that killed Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband and critically wounded state Senator John Hoffman and his wife. Boelter agreed to serve two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years as federal prosecutors agreed not to seek the death penalty as part of the plea agreement.

The 59-year-old admitted in court that he spent months identifying and stalking his targets before driving to their homes in the middle of the night disguised as a police officer with the intention of killing them. He wore a tactical uniform and mask when he arrived at the Hortman residence at approximately 3:30 a.m. on June 14, 2025, ringing the doorbell while shouting that he was a police officer conducting a welfare check.

Mark Hortman answered the door, and Boelter provided a fake name and badge number before requesting that Mark summon Melissa Hortman to the door. Boelter shot Mark multiple times before entering the house and shot Melissa as she fled upstairs. The Hortman family's golden retriever was gravely injured in the shootings and was subsequently euthanized.

Boelter visited the Hoffman residence on the same night and shot Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman. He also visited the residences of two other lawmakers during the spree. At one of those locations, no one answered the door. At another, a police officer approached Boelter in his car, mistaking him for another officer, which caused Boelter to leave the area.

The attacks triggered the largest police search in Minnesota state history. Melissa Hortman served as the Minnesota House Speaker and was the chief author of the state's solar energy standard, having advocated for transportation, environmental rights, abortion rights, police reform, and gun control policies. Hoffman serves as a Minnesota state Senator.

Boelter faces state charges including two counts of murder, four counts of attempted murder, impersonating a police officer, and animal cruelty. Hoffman and his family filed a personal injury lawsuit against Boelter in April 2026. A presentencing memorandum was submitted to the federal court in late June 2026, and the document along with objections to the report were sealed as of early Thursday.

Prosecutors and Boelter's defense team submitted letters detailing their positions on the potential sentence ahead of the Thursday hearing. Federal defender Manny Atwal stated in a letter that Boelter understands the impending sentence means he will spend the rest of his life in prison.

But the skill set he maintains from his diverse employment history makes him a strong candidate for programming, employment, and other opportunities at the Bureau of Prisons, Atwal wrote. Boelter has decades of experience in food service and other fields. His attorney requested that he be sent to a federal prison in Florida, allowed to work to pay restitution, and permitted to participate in therapy and other in-person programs.

Prosecutors stated in a filing that Boelter committed an assault on democracy. He shattered the lives of his victims. He terrified Minnesota’s public servants. He threatened police and pointed a gun at an officer. He viciously attacked the organs of Minnesota’s representative government.

The sentencing concludes the federal phase of a case that involved the targeted killing of elected officials and an attempt on the lives of others, occurring in a state with a population of 5,695,292 according to the U.S. Census Bureau 2022 American Community Survey. The plea agreement, which removed the possibility of the death penalty, ensures Boelter will remain in federal custody for the remainder of his life while allowing the defense to argue for specific conditions of confinement based on his work history.