Man who killed Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman sentenced to life as family describes trauma, loss - AP News

What the report says

The Associated Press reported that Vance Boelter, the Minnesota man who killed former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, was sentenced Thursday to spend the rest of his life in prison. The sentencing hearing took place July 23, 2026, in Minneapolis, where survivors of the attacks and relatives and friends of the victims addressed the court about the harm caused.

Boelter, 59, had pleaded guilty last month to federal charges connected to the June 2025 fatal shootings of the Hortmans and the shootings that critically wounded Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. AP’s report identifies Hortman as a former Minnesota House speaker and a leading Democrat in the state House. Courtroom sketches and AP captions showed Hoffman and his daughter, Hope Hoffman, speaking at the sentencing.

The attacks occurred in June 2025, with AP file material noting damage at the Hoffmans’ home in Champlin on June 14 and Boelter’s arrest on June 15. Funeral services for Mark and Melissa Hortman were held in Minneapolis later that month, according to AP photo captions.

The case has drawn attention because it involved targeted violence against state political figures and their families. Based on AP’s account, Thursday’s proceeding centered not only on the life sentence but also on victim impact statements describing trauma, grief and lasting loss after the killings and shootings.