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Vance Luther Boelter, accused of fatally shooting Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, was indicted Tuesday on six federal charges. A handwritten confession letter to the FBI has since gone viral.
Vance Luther Boelter, accused of fatally shooting Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, was indicted on six federal charges. (Reuters Photo)
UPDATED: Jul 16, 2025 07:12 IST
Vance Boelter, the man accused of killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and critically wounding State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, was formally indicted Tuesday by a federal grand jury on six counts, including murder, attempted murder, and stalking resulting in death.
Describing the attack as a "night of terror," Acting US Attorney Joseph Thompson said the incident marked "the most serious political assassinations Minnesota has ever seen." The Justice Department is weighing the death penalty, though a final decision will rest with Attorney General Pam Bondi.
According to the court documents, Boelter allegedly surveilled his victims for weeks and used a law enforcement disguise to gain access to their homes. He first targeted Sen. Hoffman’s residence in Champlin, then traveled to Brooklyn Park, where he killed Rep. Hortman and her husband. He was captured on June 15 near his home in Green Isle, Minnesota.
Amid the investigation, a handwritten letter allegedly authored by Boelter and addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel has gone viral online. The letter, recovered from an abandoned vehicle near Boelter's home, contains bizarre and conspiratorial claims, including a supposed directive from Minnesota Governor Tim Walz to assassinate Senators Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.
In the letter, Boelter claims he was trained for covert missions by the US military and had carried out operations abroad. He alleges he refused the alleged assassination order, fearing for his family's safety.
"I was told by US military people on the lakes during my release. I’ve been on many operations since then in Eastern Europe, North America, the Middle East, and Africa, all in the line of duty, doing what I believed was right and in the best interest of the United States," the letter reads.
The US Attorney’s Office has dismissed the letter as a product of "pure fantasy and delusion." Officials have not confirmed its authenticity but describe Boelter’s mental state as unstable and dangerous. The letter's emergence has drawn widespread attention and added another layer of intrigue to the unfolding case.
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Published By:
Aashish Vashistha
Published On:
Jul 16, 2025
