Justice Department officials said Monday that they would not seek the death penalty for a man accused last year of assassinating Melissa Hortman, a Minnesota state legislator, and killing her husband, Mark, in a politically motivated attack.
Justice Department officials said that federal prosecutors decided not to recommend the death penalty for Vance Boelter, the man accused in the killings, after determining that underlying stalking charges against him likely did not make him eligible for capital punishment.
Federal prosecutors can seek the death penalty when a violent crime leads to a murder involving a firearm. There is doubt about whether stalking qualifies as a violent crime under court precedent.
“Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he was held accountable to the fullest extent possible,” Emily Covington, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said in a statement.
Mr. Boelter was charged in connection with the shootings in both state and federal court. Minnesota has no death penalty for state crimes, but federal prosecutors initially left open the possibility that they might pursue capital punishment.
A state official who has previously provided statements on the behalf of the Hortmans’ adult children said that they did not wish to comment. Lawyers for Mr. Boelter did not respond to a request for comment, nor did a spokesman for the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting the state charges.
The Justice Department’s statement was released two days after a TV station in Minnesota, KSTP-TV, published an article that said Mr. Boelter was presented with a deal in which the death penalty would be removed as a possible punishment if he pleaded guilty. That report was untrue, the Justice Department told the TV station.
Mr. Boelter, who has pleaded not guilty, was accused of going to the homes of four Democratic Minnesota legislators on a night last June and carrying out the attacks while disguised as a police officer. The shootings led to a lengthy manhunt and renewed concerns about increased political violence in the United States.
Mr. Boelter was accused of killing the Hortmans and of shooting and wounding State Senator John A. Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. A third legislator whose home he visited was out of town, prosecutors have said, and he left the area outside a fourth legislator’s home after a police officer approached him.
Documents found in Mr. Boelter’s car, which was disguised to look like a police car, included the names of dozens more political figures, prosecutors said.
Ms. Hortman, a former speaker of the Minnesota House of Representatives, was a lawyer by training and a legislator for about 20 years. She played a key role in passing a wide array of bills during the 2023 session, when Democrats held a slim majority, including legislation that expanded abortion rights, legalized recreational marijuana and required employers to offer paid family and medical leave.
Mr. Hortman, who worked for an electrical manufacturing company, was recalled by friends as an enthusiastic and supportive political spouse with a good sense of humor and an interest in sports.
The killings, which took place on June 14, 2025, drew bipartisan condemnation and prompted some politicians to revisit personal security measures. Mourners lined up around the block outside the State Capitol as the couple lay in state. Former President Joseph R. Biden Jr. and former Vice President Kamala Harris were among those who attended their funeral.
In the months that followed, the attacks became entangled in conspiracy theories. In January, the Hortmans’ children asked President Trump to remove a video that he reposted on social media that made false insinuations about the case.
Mitch Smith is a Chicago-based national correspondent for The Times, covering the Midwest and Great Plains.
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