Accused Killer of Democratic State Lawmaker to Appear in Court
Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of killing a Democratic state lawmaker while posing as a police officer, is expected to appear in a Minnesota court on Monday afternoon on state murder charges.
Boelter, 57, surrendered Sunday. He is being held in Hennepin County after he was arrested on Sunday following a massive manhunt over the weekend.
Boelter was charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder, a criminal complaint showed.
He is accused of fatally shooting Democratic former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their Brooklyn Park home early Saturday.
Crime in The News
He is also a suspect in the shooting and wounding of state Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, at their Champlin address, about nine miles away.
Related: Minnesota shooting suspect attended Dallas religious school, school confirms
Gov. Tim Walz has characterized the crimes as a “politically motivated assassination”.
The Minnesota Shooting
Law enforcement officials said the gunman attacked the Hoffmans at around 2 a.m. Dallas time and then drove about five miles to the Hortmans’ residence.
Brooklyn Park Police Chief Mark Bruley said that a “very intuitive” police sergeant who responded to the Hoffman attack asked colleagues to “proactively” check the Hortmans’ residence.
The two officers arriving at the Hortmans’ residence saw what appeared to be a police vehicle parked in the driveway with its emergency lights on and an individual dressed and equipped as a police officer leaving the home, he said.
The suspect “immediately fired upon the officers, who exchanged gunfire and the suspect retreated back into the home,” Bruley continued.
The suspect, who was wearing a vest with a Taser, other police equipment and a badge, is believed to have fled from the rear of the home, he said.
Former Political Appointee
Boelter is a former political appointee who served on the same state workforce development board as Hoffman, state records show, though it was not clear if or how well they knew each other.
Boelter was appointed to the workforce development board by then-Gov. Mark Dayton in 2016 and then reappointed in 2019 by the current governor, Tim Walz, to a four-year term that expired in 2023, state records show.
Josh Berg served on the workforce development board with Boelter for years until Boelter departed in 2023.
Aside from being an engaged board member with solid attendance, Boelter didn’t stand out, Berg said. “That’s maybe what’s most frustrating for my brain to comprehend,” he added.
What Friends Say
Friends and associates say Boelter was mild-mannered. His social media footprint is small. He appears to have leaned toward conservative views, at least once registering to vote as a Republican and identifying as an evangelical Christian. One of his closest friends said Boelter voted for President Donald Trump last fall.
The friend, David Carlson, also said Boelter did not strike him as a zealot fixated on politics. And he never talked about violence.
“I knew the guy. He wasn’t like that. I can’t explain it,” Carlson said. “I don’t know that side of Vance.”
His Personal Life
Boelter appears to have been under financial distress. He struggled to launch a security business and transported cadavers for a funeral home to make ends meet.
He lived with roommates at least part-time in Minneapolis’ working-class North Side neighborhood to be closer to work.
Things began to go downhill about three months ago after Boelter quit his jobs to go to the Democratic Republic of Congo for two weeks to meet his partner about business ventures, Carlson said. It came to little, his friend, David Carlson said, and when Boelter returned he got a job picking up cadavers and taking them to funeral homes or morgues.
But Carlson, who said he had been friends with Boelter for about 50 years, saw signs of recent duress and mental health struggles.
“He kept things inside,” Carlson said. “He’s been kind of down. He was not as upbeat as he usually is.”
Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC
State corporate records show Boelter’s wife filed to create a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services LLC with the same Green Isle mailing address listed for the couple. On a website for the business, Boelter’s wife is listed as president and CEO, while he is listed as director of security patrols.
The homepage says it provides armed security for property and events and features a photo of an SUV painted in a two-tone black and silver pattern similar to a police vehicle, with a light bar across the roof and “Praetorian” painted across the doors.
Another photo shows a man in black tactical gear with a military-style helmet and a ballistic vest with the company’s name across the front.
An online resume says Boelter is a security contractor who has worked in the Middle East and Africa, in addition to past managerial roles at companies in Minnesota.
On Saturday night, as the manhunt for Boelter continued, Carlson said he received a couple calls from Boelter’s wife, Jenny. The two tried to make sense of what happened, Carlson said.
“She doesn’t understand it either,” Carlson said. “He would complain about distrust in the government but she didn’t think it was where you take it this far.”
The Associated Press, The Minnesota Star Tribune and Reuters News Agency contributed to this report.
Conclusion
The case of Vance Luther Boelter is a shocking and disturbing one, with allegations of politically motivated violence and assassination. As the investigation continues, it is clear that Boelter’s actions have had a profound impact on the community and the families of the victims. The case raises important questions about the roots of violence and the role of politics in shaping
