Justice Department won't pursue death penalty against Vance Boelter in attacks on lawmakers

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Source: Minnesota Star Tribune

Justice Department won’t pursue death penalty against Vance Boelter in attacks on lawmakers

The decision comes nearly one year after the fatal shootings of Rep. Melissa and Mark Hortman and the attacks on Sen. John Hoffman, his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Hope.

By Jeff Day and Paul Walsh
The Minnesota Star Tribune
June 8, 2026 at 7:26PM


The family of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, pay their respects as the couple lies in state in the Capitol rotunda in St. Paul on June 27, 2025. (Alex Kormann/The Minnesota Star Tribune)

The Department of Justice will not seek the death penalty against Vance Boelter in the attacks on Minnesota lawmakers last summer, officials announced Monday.

The decision comes nearly one year after the June 14, 2025, shooting spree that killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark. Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, and their daughter, Hope, were attacked, and Hoffman and his wife were injured. ... Boelter has pleaded not guilty to the six federal charges filed against him.

The Department of Justice said it agrees with the U.S. Attorney’s Office in Minnesota that an interstate stalking conviction does not constitute eligibility for the death penalty. ... U.S. Supreme Court opinions and federal case law support this position, the DOJ said.

“Bringing justice to the families and loved ones of victims of violence is the Number One priority of the Department of Justice,” an agency spokesperson said in a statement. “Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure [Boelter] was held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”

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Read more: https://www.startribune.com/justice-department-declines-to-pursue-death-penalty-against-vance-boelter-in-attacks-on-lawmakers/601854749