Accused political assassin’s indictment unsealed

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(The Center Square) – In a letter to FBI Director Kash Patel, a Minnesota man accused of killing the former House speaker and her husband said he was told by Gov. Tim Walz to also kill U.S. Sens. Amy Klobuchar and Tina Smith.

A six-county federal grand jury indictment that was unsealed contained details of a letter Vance Boelter addressed to Patel while he was on the run and the subject of the largest manhunt in Minnesota history.

Boelter faces federal charges of stalking and murder in the deaths of Speaker Emerita Melissa Holtman and her husband Mark Holtman, along with the stalking and shooting of John and Yvette Hoffmam and the attempted shooting of Hope Hoffman. 

He could face the death penalty.

“Vance Boelter planned and carried out a night of terror that shook Minnesota to its core,” interim U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson said in a statement.  “He carried out targeted political assassinations the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota. We grieve with the Hortman family and continue to pray for the recovery of the Hoffmans. Today, a grand jury indicted Boelter with the most serious of federal charges for these heinous political assassinations. Let me be clear: Boelter will see justice.”

As previously reported by The Center Square, an affidavit from prosecutors details what officials call Boelter’s detailed planning and actions the night before and during the early-morning hours of the shootings, along with circumstances that took place during Boelter’s nearly two days on the run.

Boetler bought a Buick sedan and electric bike from an individual he met at a bus stop as he worked to escape authorities, prosecutors say.

The affidavit contains a letter written by Boetler addressed to Patel that officials found in the Buick after it had been abandoned. It said Walz wanted him to kill Minnesota’s two U.S. senators so Walz could take one of those seats.

Following the manhunt, Boelter was arrested around 9 p.m. on June 15 near his home in Green Isle.

“Last month, the state of Minnesota experienced fear and panic,” said Alvin M. Winston Sr., the senior agent in charge of FBI Minneapolis. “Today, Vance Boelter was indicted by a federal grand jury, marking another step forward in our pursuit of justice. His targeted violence was an attack on the rule of law, resulting in a manhunt involving hundreds of law enforcement officers who worked tirelessly until Boelter was apprehended.”