The man accused of killing a top Minnesota Democratic lawmaker and her husband is scheduled to change his plea in federal court, according to court filings. The development comes after prosecutors agreed to remove the death penalty from the case.
Vance Luther Boelter had previously entered a not guilty plea but is now expected to plead guilty to federal charges related to the killings. The suspect is accused of shooting State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in what officials described as a politically motivated attack.
Hortman held the position of Speaker of the Minnesota House at the time of her death. Governor Tim Walz confirmed her death at a press conference, calling the shooting "a politically motivated assassination" and "an act of targeted political violence."
"My good friend and colleague, Speaker Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed early this morning in what appears to be a politically motivated assassination," Walz said. "Our state lost a great leader, and I lost the dearest of friends."
In a separate incident the same morning, Democratic state Senator John Hoffmann and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times. Both survived the attack and were out of surgery, with Walz saying he was "cautiously optimistic" about their recovery.
The shootings occurred in the early morning hours in suburbs around Minneapolis. Police responded to a call around 2am in Champlin reporting that Hoffmann and his wife had been shot. Officers then proactively checked on Hortman's home in Brooklyn Park about nine miles away.
When officers arrived at Hortman's house around 3:30am, they saw what appeared to be a police vehicle in the driveway with emergency lights activated. A person dressed as a police officer emerged from the house and immediately opened fire on the officers before escaping out the back, according to Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley.
The suspect had impersonated a police officer by wearing a uniform and using a vehicle that resembled a police squad car, complete with lights and emergency equipment. Bruley noted that the disguise was convincing enough that anyone would have assumed the person was a legitimate officer.
Police discovered that Boelter had a manifesto and a list of other lawmakers and officials in his vehicle during their search. The list included abortion rights supporters, according to reports. Drew Evans, superintendent of the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension, stated that targeted individuals on the list were attacked during the incident.
After the shootings, Boelter was added to the FBI's most wanted list. The agency offered a reward of up to $50,000 for information leading to his arrest and conviction. A text message attributed to Boelter sent after the shootings said he had "made some choices" and would "be gone for a while" and "may be dead shortly."