Latest news with #Boelter
10 hours ago
- Politics
Slain lawmaker becomes 1st woman to lie in state at Minnesota capitol as suspect appears in court
Minnesotans are lining up at the state capitol on Friday to honor a slain lawmaker and her husband as their accused killer made a brief appearance in court. Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were shot dead in their home on June 14, are lying in state at the Minnesota State Capitol. Melissa Hortman is the first woman to lie in state, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Next to the Hortmans was their golden retriever, Gilbert, who was wounded in the attack and later had to be euthanized, officials said. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and first lady Gwen Walz are among those paying their respects. Former Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the couple's private funeral on Saturday, according to a source familiar with Harris' plans. Harris spoke to the Hortmans' two children, Sophie and Colin, in the last week "to express her deep condolences and offer her support," the source said. Meanwhile, the Hortmans' alleged killer, Vance Boelter, who faces federal charges including stalking and state charges including first-degree murder, briefly appeared in federal court on Friday. Boelter alleged the conditions in jail have kept him from sleeping for 12 to 14 days, according to Minneapolis ABC affiliate KSTP. Boelter claimed the doors are slammed incessantly, the lights are always and that he sleeps on a mat without a pillow, KSTP reported. He also allegedly said an inmate next to him spreads feces, KSTP reported. The judge agreed to push back Boelter's hearing to July 3, according to KSTP. Boelter has not entered a plea. Boelter is accused of shooting and killing the Hortmans at their home in Brooklyn Park and shooting and wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their house in nearby Champlin in the early hours of June 14, authorities said. Boelter, 57, allegedly showed up to their doors, impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking latex mask to carry out his "political assassinations," prosecutors said. Investigators recovered a list of about 45 elected officials in notebooks in his car, according to prosecutors. Two other lawmakers were spared the night of the shootings, officials said.
Yahoo
10 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Slain lawmaker becomes 1st woman to lie in state at Minnesota capitol
Minnesotans are lining up at the state capitol on Friday to honor a slain lawmaker and her husband as their accused killer made a brief appearance in court. Democratic Minnesota state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were shot dead in their home on June 14, are lying in state at the Minnesota State Capitol. Melissa Hortman is the first woman to lie in state, according to the Minnesota House of Representatives. Next to the Hortmans was their golden retriever, Gilbert, who was wounded in the attack and later had to be euthanized, officials said. Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and first lady Gwen Walz are among those paying their respects. Former Vice President Kamala Harris will attend the couple's private funeral on Saturday, according to a source familiar with Harris' plans. Harris spoke to the Hortmans' two children, Sophie and Colin, in the last week "to express her deep condolences and offer her support," the source said. MORE: Wife of Minnesota lawmaker shooting suspect speaks out: 'Completely blindsided' Meanwhile, the Hortmans' alleged killer, Vance Boelter, who faces federal charges including stalking and state charges including first-degree murder, briefly appeared in federal court on Friday. Boelter alleged the conditions in jail have kept him from sleeping for 12 to 14 days, according to Minneapolis ABC affiliate claimed the doors are slammed incessantly, the lights are always and that he sleeps on a mat without a pillow, KSTP reported. He also allegedly said an inmate next to him spreads feces, KSTP reported. MORE: Chilling details emerge in Minnesota shootings as Vance Boelter faces federal charges: 'Stuff of nightmares' The judge agreed to push back Boelter's hearing to July 3, according to KSTP. Boelter has not entered a plea. Boelter is accused of shooting and killing the Hortmans at their home in Brooklyn Park and shooting and wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their house in nearby Champlin in the early hours of June 14, authorities said. MORE: Minnesota shooting suspect started as a frustrated idealist, his writings show Boelter, 57, allegedly showed up to their doors, impersonating a police officer and wearing a realistic-looking latex mask to carry out his "political assassinations," prosecutors said. Investigators recovered a list of about 45 elected officials in notebooks in his car, according to prosecutors. Two other lawmakers were spared the night of the shootings, officials said. ABC News' Ahmad Hemingway and Brittany Shepherd contributed to this report.
Yahoo
11 hours ago
- Politics
- Yahoo
Shooting suspect appears in court as victims and their dog lie in state at Minnesota State Capitol
Vance Boelter – the alleged gunman accused of killing Minnesota's former speaker of the House and her spouse and seriously injuring another state lawmaker and his wife – made his first appearance in federal court Friday. Boelter, who was arrested Sunday following the largest manhunt in Minnesota state history, faces state and federal charges including murder, firearms offenses and stalking. If found guilty, he could face the death penalty. Just a few short miles away from the courtroom, Boelter's alleged victims – Melissa and Mark Hortman – are lying in state beneath the rotunda of the Minnesota State Capitol. Mourners and lawmakers are gathering throughout the day to pay tribute to the Speaker Emerita of the Minnesota House and her husband. The couple is joined by the family's golden retriever, Gilbert, who also died after being shot during the attacks. Boelter briefly appeared in court Friday wearing a heavy, quilted green garment known as a safety smock typically placed on inmates who are on suicide watch. His attorney, Manny Atwal, said he's been wearing the vest since his arrest. She asked the judge for a continuance, arguing the conditions of the jail have made it difficult for her to communicate with him. 'Your honor, I haven't really slept in about 12-14 days,' Boelter told Judge Douglas Micko. 'I've never been suicidal and I'm not suicidal now.' Prosecutors did not object to the request and the judge granted the continuance. A separate hearing will be scheduled for July 3. In her first public statement since the June 14 attacks, Boelter's wife, Jenny, offered her 'deepest sympathies' to the victims' families. Boelter said she and her family are 'absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided' by the violent incident that killed one couple and seriously injured the other. 'This violence does not at all align with our beliefs as a family,' she said in a statement through her lawyers on Thursday. 'It is a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith. We are appalled and horrified by what occurred and our hearts are incredibly heavy for the victims of this unfathomable tragedy.' She said her family has fully cooperated with authorities since the beginning of the investigation and thanked them for apprehending her husband before further harm was done. Her statement comes as more details emerge from court documents about the investigation into Boelter's actions that morning and the ensuing manhunt. Vance Boelter's public defender had no comment on the release of the documents. According to a search warrant affidavit obtained by CNN affiliate KARE and reviewed by CNN, Jenny Boelter was initially 'not forthcoming with knowledge of her husband being involved in something serious.' Investigators said she later became cooperative, telling law enforcement she had received messages from her husband in the early morning hours after the shooting instructing her to take the children to her parents' home because 'people with guns' might come to their house, the documents state. Jenny Boelter told authorities her husband had recently bought masks for his security business and still owned the police-like vehicle the suspect used in his alleged attacks. During their investigation, special agents with the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension applied for warrants to track Boelter's WhatsApp account and review his Amazon purchases, according to the documents. Boelter was a 'prepper,' and had given his wife a 'bailout plan' in case of 'exigent circumstances,' an FBI agent investigating the case said in another recently unsealed affidavit. The affidavit does not imply that Boelter's wife knew about his alleged plans to attack the lawmakers, and she has not been charged with any crime. After the shootings, investigators found two handguns, passports for Jenny Boelter and her children and about $10,000 in cash in the vehicle she was in when she met with law enforcement, according to the affidavit. During an interview, Boelter's wife said that she received a group text message from Boelter in a thread with their children. 'Dad went to war last night … I don't wanna say more because I don't wanna implicate anybody,' one text from Boelter to members of his family read, according to a federal complaint unsealed last week. It took less than two days for authorities to identify and locate Boelter. But in those 43 hours, they obtained numerous search warrants that offer new insight into the massive multi-agency effort to find and locate the alleged gunman. Authorities found a receipt for a Minneapolis storage unit in the car Boelter allegedly abandoned after the shootout at the Hoffman home, along with a hit list that included the names of abortion providers, pro-abortion advocates and lawmakers in Minnesota and other states. Authorities searched the storage unit and recovered five body bags, four soft-side gun cases, a gray tarp and gun cleaning supplies, according to a search warrant. Authorities also scoured the area around the Hoffmans' home and recovered a light-colored mask and a brown-haired wig in nearby woods, as well as a thigh holster, a replica Beretta and a conceal and carry badge. A search of Boelter's property in Sibley County, in the town of Green Isle, recovered nearly 50 firearms, a ghillie camouflage suit and nearly $18,000 in cash. He also had at least 12 vehicles registered to him at his home in Sibley County. Officials were tracking a cellphone they believed belonged to the suspect when they received a call from an unexpected location — a local home improvement store. Boelter's cell phone was turned off right after the killings, but it was turned back on the next day, according to court filings. As law enforcement officers closed in on the cell phone's location, they received a tip that the phone was at a Home Depot in a Minneapolis suburb, where employees were trying to find its owner. Authorities responded and collected the iPhone 13 as evidence. Boelter was found at 7:30 p.m. June 15 after a Sibley County resident spotted him on a trail camera. Authorities were able to zero in on him using infrared technology on a drone. Once found, Boelter 'crawled' to law enforcement and was taken into custody without incident. He remains in custody at the Sherburne County Jail just north of Minneapolis. CNN's Hanna Park and Jennifer Feldman contributed to this story
Los Angeles Times
12 hours ago
- Politics
- Los Angeles Times
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman lies in state as shooting suspect appears in court
ST. PAUL, Minn. — Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman laid in state in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda on Friday while the man charged with killing her and her husband, and wounding a state senator and his wife, made a brief court appearance in a suicide prevention suit. Hortman, a Democrat, is the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans accorded the honor. She laid in state with her husband, Mark, and their golden retriever, Gilbert. Her husband was also killed in the June 14 attack, and Gilbert was seriously wounded and had to be euthanized. It was the first time a couple has laid in state at the Capitol, and the first time for a dog. The Hortmans' caskets and the dog's urn were arranged in the center of the rotunda, under the Capitol dome, with law enforcement officers keeping watch on either side. The Capitol was open for the public to pay their respects from noon to 5 p.m. Friday. House TV was livestreaming the viewing. A private funeral is set for 10:30 a.m. Saturday. The service will be livestreamed on the Department of Public Safety's YouTube channel. Former Vice President Kamala Harris will fly to Minnesota for the funeral but won't have a speaking role, according to her personal office. Harris expressed her condolences this past week to Hortman's adult children, and spoke with Gov. Tim Walz, her 2024 running mate, who extended an invitation on behalf of the Hortman family, her office said. The man accused of killing the Hortmans and wounding another Democratic lawmaker and his wife made a short court appearance Friday to face charges for what the chief federal prosecutor for Minnesota has called 'a political assassination.' Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, surrendered near his home the night of June 15 after what authorities have called the largest search in Minnesota history. An unshaven Boelter was brought in wearing just a green padded suicide prevention suit and orange slippers. Federal defender Manny Atwal asked Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko to continue the hearing until next Thursday. She said Boelter has been sleep deprived while on suicide watch in the Sherburne County Jail, and that it has been difficult to communicate with him as a result. 'Your honor, I haven't really slept in about 12 to 14 days,' Boelter told the judge. And he denied being suicidal. 'I've never been suicidal and I am not suicidal now.' Atwal told the court that Boelter had been in what's known as a 'Gumby suit,' without undergarments, ever since his transfer to the jail after his first court appearance on June 16. She said the lights are on in his area 24 hours a day, doors slam frequently, the inmate in the next cell spreads feces on the walls, and the smell drifts to Boelter's cell. The attorney said transferring him to segregation instead, and giving him a normal jail uniform, would let him get some sleep, restore some dignity, and let him communicate better. The judge agreed. Prosecutors did not object to the delay and said they also had concerns about the jail conditions. The acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Joseph Thompson, told reporters afterward that he did not think Boelter had attempted to kill himself. Boelter did not enter a plea. Prosecutors need to secure a grand jury indictment first, before his arraignment, which is when a plea is normally entered. According to the federal complaint, police video shows Boelter outside the Hortmans' home and captures the sound of gunfire. And it says security video shows Boelter approaching the front doors of two other lawmakers' homes dressed as a police officer. His lawyers have declined to comment on the charges, which could carry the federal death penalty. Thompson said last week that no decision has been made. Minnesota abolished its death penalty in 1911. The Death Penalty Information Center says a federal death penalty case hasn't been prosecuted in Minnesota in the modern era, as best as it can tell. Boelter also faces separate murder and attempted murder charges in state court that could carry life without parole, assuming that county prosecutors get their own indictment for first-degree murder. But federal authorities intend to use their power to try Boelter first. Authorities say Boelter shot and wounded Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin before shooting and killing the Hortmans in their home in the northern Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park, a few miles away. Federal prosecutors allege Boelter also stopped at the homes of two other Democratic lawmakers. Prosecutors also say he listed dozens of other Democrats as potential targets, including officials in other states. Friends described Boelter as an evangelical Christian with politically conservative views. But prosecutors have declined so far to speculate on a motive. Boelter's wife, Jenny, issued a statement through her own lawyers Thursday saying she and her children are 'absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided,' and expressing sympathy for the Hortman and Hoffman families. She is not in custody and has not been charged. 'This violence does not align at all with our beliefs as a family,' her statement said. 'It is a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith. We are appalled and horrified by what occurred and our hearts are incredibly heavy for the victims of this unfathomable tragedy.' An FBI agent's affidavit described the Boelters as 'preppers,' people who prepare for major or catastrophic incidents. Investigators seized 48 guns from his home, according to search warrant documents. While the FBI agent's affidavit said law enforcement stopped Boelter's wife as she traveled with her four children north of the Twin Cities in Onamia on the day of the shootings, she said in her statement that she was not pulled over. She said that after she got a call from authorities, she immediately drove to meet them at a nearby gas station and has fully cooperated with investigators. 'We thank law enforcement for apprehending Vance and protecting others from further harm,' she said. Karnowski writes for the Associated Press.
NBC News
16 hours ago
- Politics
- NBC News
Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman, husband and dog to lie in state as suspected killer is in court
Former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman will lie in the Minnesota Capitol rotunda on Friday as her suspected killer is scheduled to appear in court. Hortman and her husband were killed in what authorities described as a " politically motivated assassination" at their Brooklyn Park home on June 14. Hortman, a Democrat, will be the first woman to receive the honor in the state's Capitol building. She and her husband will be lying with their golden retriever Gilbert, who was wounded in the attack before being euthanized. They will be on display to the public in the Capitol rotunda Friday afternoon, where thousands are expected to attend and pay their respects. About an hour before the Hortmans will receive the rare honor, the man who was charged in connection with their killings, Vance Boelter, 57, will appear in court. A judge will determine if he will be allowed bail before trial. In addition to the Hortmans' slayings, Boelter was also charged in connection with a nearby shooting that wounded Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette Hoffman, that day. The pair were shot multiple times and hospitalized, but survived the encounter. Boelter has pleaded not guilty to multiple counts of second-degree intentional murder and attempted murder. He is being represented by a public defender, lawyers who do not issue statements or comment on pending cases to the media. Authorities said that Boelter impersonated law enforcement in order to gain access to the lawmakers' homes. He wore a vest, a blue long-sleeve shirt and what appeared to be a badge on the day of the shootings, according to officials. Boelter was found two days after the shootings, armed and crawling in a field in a sparsely populated stretch of Minnesota, according to officials The manhunt was the largest in state history, with nearly 200 law enforcement officers, including members of 20 regional and local SWAT teams, deployed in eastern Sibley County, about an hour outside Minneapolis, according to officials. Officials said they found a notebook that belonged to Boelter with a hit list of other politicians, particularly those who have vocally supported abortion. The list included politicians from Wisconsin, Illinois, Michigan, Nebraska and Iowa, according to authorities. Boelter's wife spoke out for the first time since the shootings on Thursday, calling the attack "a betrayal." In a statement issued through her attorneys, she said that she and her children wanted to express their "deepest sympathies" to the Hortman and Hoffman families. "We are absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided," she said. "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. We are appalled and horrified by what occurred, and our hearts are incredibly heavy for the victims of the unfathomable tragedy." The Hortmans' adult children, Sophie and Colin Hortman, said in a statement that they are "devastated" by the loss of their parents. "They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can't believe they are gone," the pair said. "Their love for us was boundless. We miss them so much."
