Vance Boelter being held by US Marshals ahead of first appearance in federal court

Jeff Day, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 16, 2025

By clicking submit, I authorize Arcamax and its affiliates to: (1) use, sell, and share my information for marketing purposes, including cross-context behavioral advertising, as described in our Privacy Policy , (2) add to information that I provide with other information like interests inferred from web page views, or data lawfully obtained from data brokers, such as past purchase or location data, or publicly available data, (3) contact me or enable others to contact me by email or other means with offers for different types of goods and services, and (4) retain my information while I am engaging with marketing messages that I receive and for a reasonable amount of time thereafter. I understand I can opt out at any time through an email that I receive, or by clicking here

MINNEAPOLIS — Vance Boelter is being held in the custody of U.S. Marshals as he awaits his first court appearance in federal court Monday afternoon.

After being arrested late Sunday in a field in Sibley County, Boelter was booked into Hennepin County jail after being delivered by the Brooklyn Park Police Department just after 1 a.m. Monday. His bail was set at $5 million, but he is now being held by Marshals at the U.S. Courthouse in St. Paul.

Boelter will now appear in federal court at 1:30 p.m. after initially slated for a first hearing at the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility. The U.S. Attorney’s Office is scheduled to share statements about the federal case at 11 a.m.

Boelter, 57 of Green Isle, Minn., initially charged by the Hennepin County Attorney’s Office with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder in Saturday’s shocking act of political violence that led to the largest manhunt in state history.

Charges detailing how Boelter allegedly killed Minnesota House DFL leader Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and attempted to kill state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were unsealed late Sunday night after he was apprehended in a field in Sibley County.

Jail records indicate there may be additional federal charges against Boelter that could keep him in custody, even if he could post bail.

Boelter will make his first court appearance at 1:30 p.m. inside the Hennepin County Public Safety Facility, where bail will be argued. No defense attorney is currently listed for Boelter. If he were to request the services of the Hennepin County Public Defender, it would happen later Monday morning.

While the primary county jail facility is inside the Public Safety Facility, City Hall has long housed inmates as they await trial or a resolution of criminal charges.

The criminal complaint alleges that Boelter was heavily armed and officers saw him shoot and kill Mark Hortman. The 911 call alerting officers to the initial shooting appears to have been made by Hope Hoffman after her parents, John and Yvette Hoffman, were shot multiple times.

Between the time that Champlin police arrived at the Hoffmans and the time Brooklyn Park police arrived at the Hortmans, 90 minutes passed.

According to the charges, Champlin police responded to the Hoffman residence at 2:05 a.m. after receiving the 911 call. Surveillance footage from the home showed a dark Ford SUV with police lights in the driveway. It showed Boelter, in a mask, wearing a blue shirt, police vest and badge, approach the door. He was carrying a gun with a yellow handle as he approached with a flashlight. He knocked, announced himself as a police officer and entered the home. After he shot John and Yvette Hoffman, he fled in the SUV.

After Brooklyn Park police learned that the shooting victim in Champlin was a state legislator, officers were proactively sent to the Hortman residence.

They arrived at 3:35 a.m. to find the Ford SUV in the driveway. An officer watched as Boelter shot Mark Hortman through the front door.

After an exchange of gunfire, Boelter retreated inside the house and escaped. Officers found Melissa and Mark Hortman dead inside the home.

When police searched Boelter’s vehicle, they found three AK-47 assault rifles, a 9 mm handgun and a list of names and addresses of public officials. Further searches in the area located a ballistic vest, a disassembled 9 mm firearm, mask and gold police badge.

Four of the firearms recovered by police were purchased by Boelter.

A person who was familiar with Boelter also spoke with investigators and positively identified him as the man on the surveillance footage from the Hoffmans’ home in Champlin.

The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office had issued a nationwide warrant for Boelter’s arrest but kept the warrant under seal until his capture.

------------