The fatal shooting of a Minnesota state lawmaker and her husband is still raising a myriad of questions about Vance Luther Boelter, the individual suspected of the assassinations.
Boelter was arrested after a two-day manhunt. He is accused of killing Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman, and attempting to murder state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.
The shootings were politically motivated, according to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and law enforcement. Boelter allegedly had a hit list with the names of Democratic politicians and abortion rights activists and organizations such as Planned Parenthood.
Boelter, 57, is a Minnesota native who lived in Green Isle, a farming town with a population of about 600 people, according to the Star Tribune. He attended an evangelical Christian college in Dallas, Texas, where he earned a degree in practical theology in 1990. He later obtained a bachelor’s degree in elective studies from St. Cloud State University in Minnesota in 1996. Boelter was ordained as a minister in 1993.
Boelter’s wife, Jenny, is listed as the president of the small security company they started. He is alleged to have used a company vehicle and uniform to disguise himself as a police officer while carrying out the shootings. He and his wife have four daughters and a son. Police reportedly detained Jenny after she was found with a large amount of cash and passports.
Neighbors described him as a friendly but private person. One stated he “would have never expected anything like this” from Boelter.
The suspect spent time in central Africa as a missionary. He recalled going there “on my own dime” to teach farming techniques to people in the Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). He was interested in security and law enforcement, which is why he and his wife started Praetorian Guard Security Services, LLC.
Former Gov. Mark Dayton, a Democrat, appointed Boelter to Minnesota’s Governor’s Workforce Development Board, a council that advises the state government on employment policy. He joined the board in 2016. Gov. Walz reappointed him in 2019. These positions are unpaid and “did not interact with the governor on a regular basis,” according to one board member.
Donald Trump’s Bail Bond: set at $454 Million and then reduced to $175 Million
— MAGA Voice (@MAGAVoice) June 16, 2025
Vance Luther Boelter’s Bail Bond: set at $5 Million for butchering 2 people
Do you see how corrupt the Justice System is ? pic.twitter.com/ObONO0pmbP
In a 2020 state report, Boelter is listed as having “no party preference” in that role. He also served on a local workforce board in Dakota and Scott counties in 2021, which is when he may have crossed paths with state Sen. Hoffman, one of his victims.
Friends recounted attending Trump rallies with Boelter. His friends described him as a “Devout Christian” and conservative individual. He preached in churches while serving as a missionary abroad. He was “stauchly against abortion” and “thought it was murder,” according to David Carlson, who has been friends with Boelter for over 50 years.
In a 2023 video, the suspect can be seen giving a sermon in which he said the US was in a “bad place” spiritually because “people don’t know what sex they are” and that many churches are not outspoken against abortion.
Carlson confirmed that Boelter was an ardent supporter of President Donald Trump, according to the Star Tribune. He registered as a Republican while living in Oklahoma in 2004. The full content of his writings has not yet been released. But Minnesota Attorney General Keith Ellison confirmed that his name, along with other Democrats, was in them.
On the morning of the shootings, Boelter sent what appeared to be goodbye text messages to his friends. “I love you guys, I made some choices… I’m going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly.” He allegedly wrote, “I wish it hadn’t gone this way.”
He also texted his wife, saying, “Words are not going to explain how sorry I am for this situation.” He paid four months of rent in advance, which suggests he may have expected to die while committing his alleged acts.
🚨 Yvette Hoffman—who was shot eight times by Vance Boelter—just shared this photo from her hospital bed.
— Dustin Grage (@GrageDustin) June 16, 2025
She shielded her daughter from Boelter to save her life.
This is a hero—and an iconic image. pic.twitter.com/rD6Nj2k2ai
After fleeing from police, Boelter left behind a written confession. Investigators found a letter to the FBI in his vehicle in which he admitted to being “the shooter at large in Minnesota.”
After his arrest, he was held on $5 million bail in the Hennepin County jail. However, he was quickly transported into federal custody. A federal magistrate judge appointed a public defender for Boelter.
In the hours after reports of the shootings surfaced, many speculated about Boelter’s motive. Some believed him to be a Democrat who held a vendetta against the lawmakers for their votes on providing government healthcare to illegal immigrants. Hoffman had voted against repealing healthcare for migrants, while Hortman voted for it, which cast doubt on this theory.
So far, it is believed that Boelter acted alone. But law enforcement are investigating whether there could have been an accomplice.
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