A full timeline of events in the Vance Boelter case
Vance Boelter, the man who admitted in court to shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses on June 14, 2025, was sentenced Thursday to two consecutive life sentences followed by 40 years.
Boelter pleaded guilty to six federal charges against him in June. As part of his plea, he 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.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced in June it would not seek the death penalty for Boelter, who turned 59 on Thursday.
Below is a timeline of events in Boelter's case.
June 14, 2025
2 a.m. — Champlin police receive a phone call about a shooting at the Hoffman home. A Champlin officer calls a neighboring agency to proactively check Hortman home.
2:24 a.m. — Boelter travels to the home of DFL state Rep. Kristin Bahner in Maple Grove and knocks on her door, according to then-acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson. Bahner was not home at the time, as she and her family were away on vacation.
2:36 a.m. — Boelter drives to the home of DFL state Sen. Ann Rest in New Hope, Thompson says. New Hope officers are dispatched to conduct a wellness check on Rest, after learning about Hoffman's shooting. When the New Hope officer arrives at the scene, she sees Boelter's SUV, which looks like a police vehicle. The New Hope officer pulls up next to Boelter and attempts to speak with him, but Boelter doesn't respond, so she goes to conduct the wellness check and wait for other police officers to arrive. Boelter leaves the scene, Thompson says.
3:35 a.m. — Brooklyn Park police arrive at the Hortman home to find what appears to be a police vehicle in her driveway. The suspect, wearing a blue shirt with a black tactical vest underneath and blue pants, exits the Hortman home. Police exchange gunfire with the suspect, who then retreats back into Hortman home and flees out the back door on foot.
7:11 a.m. — A shelter-in-place warning is issued for a 3-mile radius around Edinburgh Golf Course in Brooklyn Park.
7:35 a.m. — Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz posts on social media that he has been briefed on the shootings and that the Minnesota Department of Public Safety and local law enforcement are on scene.
8:10 a.m. — Walz activates the State Emergency Operations Center.
9:30 a.m. — Walz and several law enforcement officials give the first news conference on the shootings, confirming the Hortmans' deaths and offering condolences. Authorities also ask that Minnesotans not attend "No Kings" rallies taking place around the state.
12 p.m. — In a statement, President Trump says he has been briefed on the shootings. He adds, "Such horrific violence will not be tolerated in the United States of America."
12:55 p.m. — CBS News confirms U.S. marshals have joined the manhunt for the shooting suspect.
3 p.m. — Law enforcement leaders identify Boelter as the suspect. They release several photos of Boelter, one of which appears to show him standing outside of one of the lawmakers' homes, wearing a mask and dressed like a police officer.
Walz orders U.S. and Minnesota flags be flown at half-staff in Melissa Hortman's memory.
3:20 p.m. — Police lift shelter-in-place alert in Brooklyn Park.
3:50 p.m. — The Hennepin County Medical Examiner's Office releases reports on the deaths of the Hortmans. Each died of multiple gunshot wounds, the examiner said, and the manner of death was homicide. Their dog Gilbert was also badly injured in the shooting and was eventually euthanized.
4:45 p.m. — The FBI offers a $50,000 reward for information leading to Boelter's arrest and conviction.
June 15, 2025
10:50 a.m. — Boelter's vehicle is found near Minnesota Highway 25 and 301st Avenue in Sibley County, according to a government alert. Residents are asked to keep their doors locked and vehicles secured as law enforcement searches properties in the area.
9:30 p.m. — Multiple sources tell WCCO that Boelter was arrested near his home in Green Isle, Sibley County.
Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, issues a statement.
"I'm grateful that this nightmare has come to an end with the suspected murderer captured alive so he can be charged, prosecuted, and punished for the horror he has wrought on our state," Demuth said. "Thank you to the brave men and women of local, state, and federal law enforcement who have worked around the clock to ensure this evil man faces justice."
June 16, 2025
10 a.m. — Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty says her office intends to pursue first-degree murder charges against Boelter.
11 a.m. — The acting U.S. attorney details the events of early Saturday, accusing Boelter of visiting two other lawmakers' homes before he went to the Hortman home. He says Boelter will face additional federal charges: two counts of stalking, two counts of murder using a firearm and two counts of shooting the Hortmans and Hoffmans using a firearm. The maximum sentence for the murder charge is life in prison or even death.
1:30 p.m. — Boelter makes a federal court appearance in St. Paul.
June 17, 2025
Walz's office responds to reports that he appointed Boelter to a state workforce board.
"There are thousands of volunteers of all political persuasions who serve on hundreds of these boards," a spokesperson said. "That particular board has over 60 people on it. The Governor does not interview applicants for these roles and he does not know Boelter."
State records show Boelter was first appointed to the board for a three-year term in 2016 by then-Gov. Mark Dayton. Walz reappointed him in 2019.
June 18, 2025
David Carlson, Boelter's best friend since elementary school, tells the Associated Press that Boelter had been struggling to find work. Carlson said Boelter had quit his job delivering bodies from assisted living facilities to funeral homes and moved to the Democratic Republic of Congo, where he founded several companies focused on farming and fishing.
"I thought it was a mistake for him to quit his job," Carlson said. "I didn't think he was going to get anywhere with the Congo."
Carlson said finding out his best friend's deadly rampage was like "getting struck by lightning."
"There was a darkness that was inside him," Carlson said. "He must have kept it hidden."
Other friends of Boelter told the Associated Press days later that he is deeply religious and politically conservative.
June 19, 2025
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announces her office will still pursue state charges against Boelter, noting the U.S. Attorney's Office has the authority to decide whether the federal case comes first or second.
"I want to assure our community and all those who are grieving that we will seek justice and accountability for the victims of these heinous crimes," Moriarty said.
June 23, 2025
Search warrants show investigators found 48 firearms inside Boelter's Green Isle home, as well as a "tub" of ammunition.
Court documents also note a desk inside Boelter's residence contained a notecard with the names and states of public officials written on it. Investigators also recovered nearly $18,000 in cash from the home.
According to an affidavit filed by an FBI special agent, Boelter's wife, Jenny Boelter, told the investigator they were "preppers," meaning they "prepare for major or catastrophic incidents." She says her husband gave her a "bailout plan," including a directive to go to her mother's home in southwestern Wisconsin.
June 26, 2025
Jenny Boelter releases a statement through her attorney in which she said their family was "shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided" by her husband's actions.
"This violence does not at all align with our beliefs as a family. It is a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith," she said. "We are appalled and horrified by what occurred and our hearts are incredibly heavy for the victims of this unfathomable tragedy."
Court filings show law enforcement deemed her "cooperative" with the investigation, but that she initially "was not forthcoming with knowledge of her husband being involved in something serious."
"We voluntarily agreed to meet with them, answer their questions, provide all items they requested, and cooperate with all searches," Jenny Boelter said in her statement. "We are grateful for the diligent and professional efforts of the authorities to fully investigate these crimes. We thank law enforcement for apprehending Vance and protecting others from further harm."
June 28, 2025
Hundreds gather at Minneapolis' Basilica of St. Mary for the Hortmans' private funeral ceremony.
Among attendees are former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, who were invited to the funeral by Walz on behalf of the Hortmans' children.
July 3, 2025
Vance Boelter appears again in federal court, where he waives his rights to a probable cause and detention hearings in order to expedite "the truth about the 14th [getting] to the public."
July 16, 2025
Vance Boelter pleads not guilty to his federal charges.
Aug. 14, 2025
Moriarty announces her office has secured a grand jury indictment, with Vance Boelter charged with two counts of first-degree premeditated murder, four counts of attempted first-degree murder, felony cruelty to an animal and impersonating an officer.
"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," Moriarty said in a written statement.
April 16, 2026
The Hoffman family files a civil suit against Vance Boelter, accusing him of assault, battery, intentional infliction of emotional distress, negligence and negligence per se, according to a civil complaint filed in Minnesota District Court.
May 13, 2026
The Minnesota Legislature unanimously passes a bill to toughen criminal penalties for people who disguise themselves as law enforcement to deceive the public. John Hoffman authored the bill in the state Senate.
"This bill helps reinforce trust in legitimate law enforcement officers in our state, and it sends a clear signal to people that will face stiff and severe consequences if they violate that trust," John Hoffman said. "When I answered the door on June 14, I did so because of the trust, and I never want another person in the state to have that trust shattered."
June 8, 2026
The U.S. Department of Justice announces Vance Boelter will not face the death penalty on federal charges "in accordance with the terms delineated in a proposed plea agreement," according to U.S. Attorney Daniel Rosen.
"Bringing justice to the families and loved ones of victims of violence is the number one priority of the Department of Justice," a spokesperson for the agency said in a written statement to WCCO. "Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he was held accountable to the fullest extent possible."
June 10, 2026
Vance Boelter changes his plea to guilty in the six federal counts against him as part of an agreement with federal prosecutors.
Had he rejected the deal, Rosen says he's "confident" his office would have successfully secured a death sentence.
Rosen calls political violence "a scourge plaguing America in our times," labels Vance Boelter "brutally murderous" and calls the shootings "among the worst political violence crimes that we have seen."
June 11, 2026
Moriarty again insists state charges will proceed against Vance Boelter despite his federal guilty plea.
"Mr. Boelter will sit in a Hennepin County courtroom and be held accountable for his actions. We are in contact with the U.S. Attorney's Office about transferring Mr. Boelter into our custody," Moriarty said.
In a written statement, the Hoffman family says "there is no justice when our family and our state will never truly heal," and there "is not justice for Melissa and Mark Hortman."
"While the legal process may provide accountability, true healing requires something more from all of us," the family said. "The "choice we've made is to go forward with public service and being present for our community."
July 23, 2026
Boelter is sentenced to two consecutive life sentences, followed by 40 years.
He gives a brief statement to the court before being sentenced.
"To every person I have caused loss, pain, heartache, confusion, shame or loneliness, I am truly sorry," Boelter said.
The Hortmans' children, Sophie and Colin Hortman, give victim impact statements at the sentencing hearing, where they said they still think of their parents' murders daily.
"The blood that was spilled is the last thing I see before I fall asleep and the first thing I see as I wake," Colin Hortman said, adding that when he pictures his parents, he sees "bullet holes."
Hope Hoffman, who witnessed her parents shooting and helped save their lives, also gives a statement, where she calls Boelter "a criminal and a loser" who's "the worst kind of father he could possibly be."
Senior U.S. District Judge John Tunheim says the sentence is "the longest sentence I have imposed after hearing thousands of cases over the years, but it is well deserved."
