Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect Vance Luther Boelter is now facing escalated federal charges for the assassination of a state lawmaker and spouse and the attempted murder of another couple.
Six federal charges were filed against Vance Boelter in what prosecutors say was an elaborately planned case of political assassination, charges that could lead to the death penalty for Boelter.
Boelter also faces murder charges in the state of Minnesota, but those charges carry a maximum of life in prison without parole.
It is “too early to tell” whether his office will seek the death penalty in this case, said Acting US Attorney Joe Thompson.
Here are the charges filed against Boelter, according to Thompson, along with the maximum penalty for a conviction:
- Count 1: Stalking Rep. Melissa Hortman using interstate commerce (maximum: life in prison)
- Count 2: Stalking Sen. John Hoffman using interstate commerce (maximum: 20 years in prison)
- Count 3: Murder of Melissa Hortman with a firearm (maximum: death penalty, if capital punishment is sought by prosecutors)
- Count 4: Murder of Mark Hortman with a firearm (maximum: death penalty, if capital punishment is sought by prosecutors)
- Count 5: Firearms offense in the shooting of Melissa and Mark Hortman (maximum: life in prison)
- Count 6: Firearms offense in the shooting of John and Yvette Hoffman (maximum: life in prison)
Boelter, 57, was captured in Sibley County after a two-day manhunt. He allegedly killed Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, early Saturday morning at their Brooklyn Park home in Minneapolis before allegedly shooting State Sen. John Hoffman, also a Democrat, and his wife, Yvette, in their nearby Champlin home in a related attack. (RELATED: Lawmakers Shot In Political Attack Linked To Pro-Choice Movement: Report)
The Sibley County Sheriff’s Office told Fox News that Boelter “verbally” identified himself to authorities searching for him in the area on Sunday evening.
“The face of evil. After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody,” the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post. “Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer.”
Speaking at a press conference alongside other law enforcement officers after Boelter’s arrest, Brooklyn Park Police Department Chief Mark Bruley said there were more than 20 different SWAT teams involved in the search. He described it as “the largest manhunt in the state’s history.”
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What was his motivation?
He shot them because of their alleged pro-choice stances? The more obvious — and likely — reason is that they crossed the aisle to vote with Republicans against a democrat position involving illegal aliens. Instead of being an abortion fanatic, maybe he’s an enforcer for the new democrat party.