Vance Boelter to rely on "justifiable taking of life" and "double jeopardy" defenses in state trial
Vance Boelter, the man sentenced by a federal court to two life terms and an additional 40 years for killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband, is planning to rely upon the defenses of "justifiable taking of life" and "double jeopardy" in the state case against him, court documents filed on Friday said.
Attorneys for Boelter, who made his first appearance in state court earlier this month, filed several documents ahead of his next appearance, which is scheduled for Wednesday. In addition to "justifiable taking of life" and "double jeopardy," Boelter plans to rely upon the defenses of "reasonable use of force" and "same behavioral incident," which holds that an individual has already been convicted of a crime arising from the same behavioral incident, according to the filings.
The 59-year-old pleaded guilty to six federal charges against him in June. As part of his plea, Boelter confessed to killing former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark and wounding Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette in a shooting that also targeted their daughter Hope.
Boelter's attorneys also filed a motion for a change of venue, arguing that "excessive pretrial publicity" in Hennepin County over the past year has tainted the local jury pool and made a fair trial impossible, court documents said.
Another motion filed is asking the court to modify Boelter's bail. A judge initially set his bond at $5 million in June and it remained the same at his first state court appearance on Aug. 3.
"However, had the Rules of Criminal Procedure been followed, this Court should have 'released' Mr. Boelter back to federal custody," the motion to modify bail said.
The motion to modify bail asks the court to review the conditions of Boelter's release, arguing his release back to federal authorities would neither "endanger the public safety nor would it prevent" him from appearing later.
Boelter was indicted by a Hennepin County grand jury on two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, felony torture of an animal and impersonating a police officer in Hennepin County.
The June 14, 2025, shootings in the Twin Cities suburbs of Champlin and Brooklyn Park prompted a manhunt that lasted 43 hours and ended in rural Green Isle, Minnesota. Officials said the attacks were politically motivated.