The murder counts in the deaths of former Democratic House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, could carry the federal death penalty. He allegedly shot the senator nine times, and Yvette Hoffman eight times, but they survived. Boelter allegedly fled and left behind his car, which contained notebooks listing dozens of Democratic officials as potential targets with their home addresses, as well as five guns and a large quantity of ammunition. Boelter also faces state murder and attempted murder charges in Hennepin County, but the federal case will go first. Tim Walz, Harris’s running mate on the 2024 Democratic presidential ticket, eulogized Melissa Hortman as “the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history.”

Source: Huffington Post July 16, 2025 16:11 UTC