Prosecutors turn over 130,000 pages of evidence in the killing of a Minnesota lawmaker

Federal Attorneys Sift Through Massive Evidence in Political Assassination Case

Prosecutors have handed over an unprecedented volume of evidence to defense attorneys in the case against Vance Boelter, the man charged with killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, federal officials revealed Wednesday.

During a status conference in Minneapolis, federal prosecutor Harry Jacobs told the court that investigators have provided “substantially all” of the evidence collected against Boelter, who has pleaded not guilty to murder and attempted murder charges. The case stems from what authorities have described as political assassinations that shocked Minnesota this summer.

Federal defender Manny Atwal detailed the staggering scope of materials now under review, including more than 130,000 pages of documents, over 800 hours of audio and video recordings, and more than 2,000 photographs. The evidence was gathered during what officials called the largest manhunt in Minnesota history.

“That’s not unusual for a complex case but it is a lot of information for us to review,” Atwal told Magistrate Judge Dulce Foster, noting her team has spent nearly 110 hours just downloading the material. The defense’s evaluation process has been further slowed by the federal government shutdown, she added.

The case has drawn national attention not only for its high-profile victims but also because it could become Minnesota’s first federal death penalty case. Jacobs indicated there is no timeline yet for when the Department of Justice will decide whether to pursue capital punishment against Boelter. The decision ultimately rests with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi under the Trump administration, which has advocated for expanded use of the death penalty.

Minnesota abolished state-level capital punishment in 1911, but federal charges can still carry death penalty provisions.

The violent attacks occurred in the early morning hours of June 14, when Hortman and her husband Mark were fatally shot in their home. That same night, state Senator John Hoffman and his wife Yvette were also shot but survived. Authorities say the perpetrator disguised himself as a police officer and drove a fake squad car to the victims’ suburban homes.

Boelter, 58, was captured the following day near his rural Green Isle residence. He now faces both federal and state charges, including murder and attempted murder. During Wednesday’s nine-minute hearing, Boelter, dressed in orange and yellow jail clothing, remained silent.

The defendant’s motivations remain somewhat unclear, though friends have described him as a politically conservative evangelical Christian who occasionally worked as a preacher and missionary. In August, Boelter claimed to conservative media outlet Blaze News through jail communications that he never intended to shoot anyone that night, insisting his plans “went horribly wrong.”

According to his statements, Boelter allegedly went to the Hoffmans’ home to make citizen’s arrests related to what he described as his two-year undercover investigation into 400 deaths from COVID-19 vaccines that he believed were being concealed by state officials. He told the outlet he opened fire when the Hoffmans and their adult daughter attempted to remove him from their home. Boelter did not explain his subsequent actions at the Hortman residence, where he allegedly also killed the couple’s golden retriever.

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty has dismissed Boelter’s jailhouse claims, stating she gives “no credence” to his explanations. When announcing state charges against Boelter in August, Moriarty emphasized the politically motivated nature of the attacks.

In a recent development separate from the criminal proceedings, a Sibley County judge granted Boelter’s wife a divorce last month.

Judge Foster scheduled the next status conference for February 12 and directed prosecutors to keep both the defense and the court informed about the death penalty decision process. No trial date has been set.