Minnesota shootings suspect to face first-degree murder charges

Federal prosecutors on Monday charged the man accused of assassinating a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband, and shooting another lawmaker and his wife, with six federal counts, including stalking, murder and firearms offenses.

Vance Luther Boelter, 57, is facing both state and federal charges in the assassination of Minnesota Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shooting of Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, in a separate attack.

The details of the crime “are truly chilling, it is no exaggeration to say that his crimes are the stuff of nightmares,” Joe Thompson, the acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, said Monday.

Thompson said “it is too early to tell” whether the Justice Department will seek the death penalty in Boelter’s case, but it “is one of the options for several of the charges.

Thompson said that early Saturday morning, Boelter went to the homes of four Minnesota state lawmakers “with the intent to kill them.”

One of the lawmakers, a Minnesota state representative, was not home when Boelter arrived at her home, so he left, Thompson said.

He did not disclose the names of the two other lawmakers.

Boelter “planned his attack carefully,” including researching the victims and their families, and he “conducted surveillance of their homes,” Thompson said.

Boelter’s arrest Sunday night was the result of what authorities called the “largest manhunt” in Minnesota state history, spanning 43 hours and involving 20 swat teams.

Doorbell camera footage showed Boelter wearing a mask and impersonating a police officer to gain access to the victims’ homes, where the shootings took place.

State officials also said Monday that they will seek first-degree murder charges against Boelter.

The maximum penalty for a conviction on first-degree murder charges is life in prison without parole, Moriarty said.

Boelter was also carrying a list with “dozens and dozens of names” of potential targets, including some who Thompson believed to be “abortion rights supporters.”

“Obviously, his primary motive was to go out and murder people, they were all elected officials, they were all Democrats,” Thompson said.

“Beyond that, I think it’s just way too speculative for anyone that’s reviewed these materials to know and to say what was motivating him in terms of ideology or specific issues,” he added.

Authorities captured Boelter late Sunday in a rural part of Sibley County, Minnesota, where he was found crawling in a field. He was armed at the time of his arrest, but gunfire was not exchanged at the time of his arrest, authorities said.

Earlier on Sunday, authorities had discovered his car and hat in Sibley County, leading them to zero in on the area.

The shootings, which Gov. Tim Walz said appeared to be “politically motivated,” have rattled Minnesota and lawmakers across the country.

“Political assassinations are rare,” Thompson said Monday. “They strike at the very heart of our democracy.”

This is a breaking news story and will be updated.