Vance Luther Boelter, 58, the man accused of killing Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and shooting Minnesota State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, is expected to change his plea to guilty on June 11, court filings show.
For months, Minnesota prosecutors have said the June 14, 2025 killings were not just violence, but an attack on the people running the state’s political life.
Now, a courtroom date could mark a major shift in how that case is fought. Vance Luther Boelter—accused of killing Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark. and wounding state senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette—is expected to change his plea to guilty on June 11. according to court filings.
Boelter was arrested after a manhunt that followed the shootings deaths of Melissa Hortman, Mark Hortman, and their dog, and the shootings of John Hoffman and Yvette Hoffman, who were injured but survived.
The change of plea hearing is set for 10 a.m. local time on June 11, records show.
Boelter. 58. is facing two counts of murder through the use of a firearm. along with two counts of stalking and firearms offenses tied to the shootings of the Hortmans and the Hoffmans. and the attempted shooting of the Hoffmans’ adult daughter. Hope. He pleaded not guilty in August 2025. Some of the federal charges carried the possibility of the death penalty.
A letter from U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Daniel Rosen says prosecutors have agreed not to seek the death penalty in a plea deal with Boelter. Attorneys for Boelter did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The expectation of a guilty plea comes with a backdrop prosecutors say shows intent and targeting. The shootings. nearly one year ago. “rocked the state of Minnesota” and were immediately described by prosecutors as an assassination and an “act of political extremism.” The lawmakers shot were members of Minnesota’s Democratic-Farmer-Labor party.
Prosecutors have also said Boelter claimed in a letter addressed to the FBI that he was being threatened through a far-fetched conspiracy, and that he had a list of other officials. Prosecutors characterized those claims as a “delusion” or possibly an effort to disrupt the investigation.
In the early morning hours of June 14, 2025, authorities say Boelter dressed up as a police officer. The details prosecutors cited included what they described as a “hyper-realistic” silicone mask. a vest. and an SUV with flashing lights. He drove around the Minneapolis suburbs to the homes of multiple lawmakers.
He first reached the Hoffman home. Authorities said he knocked on the door. shouted that he was police. and told the occupants to open the door at about 2 a.m. Police and prosecutors said he shot John and Yvette Hoffman multiple times. He also allegedly tried to shoot their daughter, Hope, who was uninjured.
Boelter then drove to two other lawmakers’ homes. One wasn’t home. At the second home, officials said he encountered law enforcement and drove off.
Authorities said Boelter arrived at the Hortman home at about 3:30 a.m. Prosecutors say he again used the police ruse. While Boelter was speaking with Mark Hortman at the door. police officers arrived to do a welfare check after learning about the prior shooting. The indictment says Boelter fired shots into the home and that officers exchanged gunfire with Boelter.
Prosecutors said Boelter shot and killed Mark Hortman in the entryway. They said he then shot Melissa Hortman several times, killing her as she tried to run up the stairs. The case also includes an allegation that Boelter shot and killed the family’s golden retriever, Gilbert.
After Boelter fled, authorities launched a manhunt they described as the largest in Minnesota state history. In the SUV he left behind. officials said they found writings listing the names of other officials and papers saying “No Kings. ” which they described as an apparent reference to protests across the United States happening the same day.
Boelter was arrested June 15 near Green Isle, Minnesota. Police searching near the Boelter family home later discovered an abandoned car near the farmhouse. Authorities said the letter to the FBI was inside the vehicle.
Prosecutors previously said the letter included a confession that Boelter shot the lawmakers and a claim that Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz approached him to kill other lawmakers. They called that claim a “delusion” or perhaps an effort to throw off the investigation.
From the start. the case has moved along two parallel tracks: the prosecution’s narrative of planned political violence. and Boelter’s own written claims that prosecutors say do not hold up. The June 11 change of plea date brings a third track forward—how a plea agreement. including the decision not to seek the death penalty. could reshape what comes next for a case that already left two families grieving and Minnesota searching for answers.
Vance Luther Boelter Minnesota lawmaker shootings Melissa Hortman Mark Hortman John Hoffman Yvette Hoffman plea deal Daniel Rosen death penalty June 11 court filings