Court documents reveal that suspect Vance Boelter meticulously planned the recent shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses.
Prosecutors say that notebooks seized from Boelter’s car and the home where he was staying contained names—and in many cases home addresses—of more than 45 elected officials, “mostly or all Democrats,” according to an FBI affidavit. Investigators believe Boelter used various people‑finding websites to compile the information.
One entry described the victims Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, writing: “Big house off golf course 2 ways in to watch from one spot.” That notebook detail underscores the premeditated nature of the attack, which left the Hortmans dead.
In the hours following the shootings, while manhunts were underway, Boelter reportedly approached a passerby at a Minneapolis bus stop, offering to buy his electric bicycle. Upon arriving at the man’s home, Boelter instead negotiated to purchase the man’s Buick—an exchange that provided the suspect with another vehicle.
Law enforcement located that Buick on Sunday in rural Sibley County, roughly an hour southwest of the city. Inside the car, officers found a handwritten confession addressed to the FBI in which Boelter named himself and admitted responsibility for the killings.
Over 20 SWAT teams, backed by surveillance aircraft, scoured the nearby woods before Boelter emerged armed and surrendered without incident.
Boelter now faces both state and federal murder charges after his arrest Sunday night, following a two‑day manhunt—the largest in Minnesota history.
In Hennepin County, Boelter is accused of fatally shooting Representative Melissa Hortman, the Minnesota House’s leading Democrat, and her husband Mark Hortman at their home on Saturday. He is also charged with wounding State Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in a separate incident several miles away.
Prosecutors say Boelter posed as a police officer—wearing a rubber mask and fake badge—when he visited the Hoffmans’ residence, and that he targeted at least two additional lawmakers’ homes that day.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty confirmed that Boelter has been formally charged with two counts of second‑degree murder and two counts of second‑degree attempted murder. She announced her intention to pursue first‑degree murder indictments, which carry an automatic life sentence without parole.
At the federal level, Boelter faces a six‑count complaint including stalking, murder, and firearms offenses, any of which could result in a death sentence if he is convicted. Investigators uncovered a list in his car naming dozens of legislators—mostly Democrats—as potential targets.
This incident marks the latest in a troubling series of politically motivated attacks in the United States, following an armed intruder at the home of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s husband in 2022, the attempted assassination of former President Donald Trump last year, and an arson attack at Pennsylvania Governor Josh Shapiro’s residence in April.
The article was originally published on Politics Nigeria.
