Hennepin County Attorney’s Office secures grand jury indictment against Vance Boelter; charges include first-degree premeditated murder and felony animal cruelty

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced at a press conference Thursday that her office had secured an indictment from a grand jury against Vance Luther Boelter.

The full list of charges is below:

First-degree premeditated murder (Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman)
First-degree premeditated murder (Mark Hortman)
Attempted first-degree murder (Sen. John Hoffman)
Attempted first-degree murder (Yvette Hoffman)
Attempted first-degree murder (Hope Hoffman)
Attempted first-degree murder (Rep. Kristin Bahner)
Felony cruelty to an animal (Gilbert Hortman)
Impersonating a police officer

The sentence for a guilty verdict on a single charge of first-degree premeditated murder is life in prison without the possibility of parole.

“The damage done to the victims – those with us, those who were taken from us, and to our entire community – has opened wounds that will never heal,” Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said. “These charges reflect the weight of Mr. Boelter’s crimes, and our thoughts are with Melissa and Mark Hortman’s family, the Hoffman family, Rep. Bahner, and Sen. Rest.”

Regarding the attempted murder charge for Mr. Boelter’s actions at Rep. Kristin Bahner’s residence, attempted murder is defined as “intending to cause the death of a person and taking a substantial step toward that goal beyond mere preparation.”

It does not matter that Rep. Bahner was not home at the time, as Mr. Boelter took a clear substantial step by going to her door and engaging in the same pattern of behavior as he did at both the Hoffman and Hortman homes.

Prosecution of Mr. Boelter will resume as soon as he is made available by the federal government.

Case Number: 27-CR-25-14999

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