Federal and state prosecutors have brought 10 charges against a man they say killed a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband in a political assassination.
Vance Boelter, 57, was arrested on Sunday and accused of shooting and killing State Representative Melissa Hortman, a Democrat, and her husband, Mark, at their home in a suburb of Minneapolis. The gunman, who posed as a police officer, also shot and injured Democratic State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their home nearby, and visited the houses of two other lawmakers that same morning.
The U.S. attorney’s office in Minneapolis brought murder charges, which could carry the death penalty. State prosecutors charged him with second-degree murder and attempted second-degree murder, charges they said they planned to upgrade to first-degree murder.
What are the other charges?
Mr. Boelter was charged with six federal counts. In addition to two murder charges, he is charged with two felonies for stalking Ms. Hortman and Mr. Hortman, which means he is accused of traveling across state lines or using interstate commerce with the intent to injure, harass, intimidate or place someone under surveillance, causing them fear or distress.
Under the stalking charges, federal prosecutors have accused Mr. Boelter of “taking deliberate steps to research his victims,” identifying their home addresses and purchasing materials to impersonate a police officer. Mr. Boelter also faces two counts of shooting, one for shooting the Hortmans and another for shooting Mr. Hoffman and his wife, who are both expected to recover.
Federal officials have not indicated whether they intend to pursue the death penalty for the murder charges, but President Trump has encouraged the attorney general to pursue capital punishment when possible.
State prosecutors charged Mr. Boelter with two counts of second-degree murder for the fatal shootings of the Hortmans, and two counts of attempted second-degree murder for the shooting and wounding of the Hoffmans. The Hennepin County attorney’s office said it planned to seek first-degree murder charges, which would most likely carry a mandatory sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole. Prosecutors must present the case to a grand jury and obtain an indictment to elevate those charges.
Will the state and federal prosecutions happen at the same time?
Andrew Luger, who served as U.S. attorney in Minnesota until January, said he expected that the state and federal cases against Mr. Boelter would run in tandem.
In high profile cases, he said, “it’s not uncommon to have parallel criminal proceedings,” adding that a second trial can serve as a safety net in the event of major setbacks during the initial one.
He added that state and federal charges often have different elements and require different types of proof.
The timelines for the two cases could differ, especially if the Trump administration decides to pursue the death penalty. Federal death penalty cases can take a year or longer to go to trial. During that time, defense lawyers can make presentations to argue against capital punishment.
Is there tension between the two sets of prosecutors?
On Monday, federal and state prosecutors held separate news conferences about their plans for Mr. Boelter’s prosecution.
The Hennepin County attorney’s office and the U.S. attorney’s office in Minnesota have a long history of collaborating closely on cases. But there may be tension under the Trump administration.
In May, the Department of Justice announced that it had begun an investigation into the way the Hennepin County attorney’s office takes race into account in plea deals and other prosecutorial decisions. The move came after the Hennepin County attorney’s office issued a memo in April that instructs prosecutors to consider a defendant’s race when handling cases in an effort to address “racial disparities.” The office is led by Mary Moriarty, a veteran criminal litigator who previously served as the top public defender in the county.
Harmeet K. Dhillon, the assistant attorney general for civil rights in the Justice Department, said that policy could be unconstitutional. Ms. Moriarty’s office has said it would cooperate with the federal investigation and has maintained that its policy is lawful.
Daniel Richman, a professor of law at Columbia University and a former federal prosecutor, said he would be “shocked” if there were not some tension between the two jurisdictions, given the politics involved in the case.
How have similar cases unfolded?
The federal system usually moves faster and often imposes more severe punishments, Mr. Luger said.
For example, the perpetrator of the 2015 Charleston church shooting was first convicted in federal court of 33 charges and later plead guilty in South Carolina state court to several counts of murder, among other charges.
Derek Chauvin and the other former Minneapolis police officers charged in the murder of George Floyd also faced both state and federal charges. Mr. Chauvin was convicted of murder in the state case and of civil rights violations under federal law. Because of those dual convictions, he would have to serve the remainder of his state prison sentence even if the president issued a federal pardon.
Recently, Luigi Mangione was charged with both state and federal charges in connection with the killing of Brian Thompson, the chief executive of UnitedHealthcare. Initially, the U.S. attorney’s office for the Southern District of New York said the state prosecution would occur first. Mr. Trump’s attorney general, Pam Bondi, later signaled that the Justice Department might move quickly to pursue the death penalty in the case.
Pooja Salhotra covers breaking news across the United States.
Ernesto Londoño is a Times reporter based in Minnesota, covering news in the Midwest and drug use and counternarcotics policy.
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