The suspect accused of killing a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband has been labeled “the face of evil” by a local sheriff.
Vance Boelter was arrested Sunday in Ramsey County, Minnesota. He was caught after a two-day manhunt following the ‘politically motivated’ shooting of state House Democratic leader Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, as well as wounding Democratic state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife at their respective homes on Saturday morning.
“The face of evil,” the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office wrote on Facebook. “After relentless and determined police work, the killer is now in custody. Thanks to the dedication of multiple agencies working together along with support from the community, justice is one step closer.”
Their post featured a picture of the moment Boelter was caught by authorities. He wore a blue shit and a dark-gray coat. He appeared dirty as he stood on a dirt road and stared straight ahead as he was put in handcuffs.
Boelter is charged with two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder. As of Monday, he was being held in Hennepin County custody and is scheduled to appear in court on Monday at 1:30 p.m., according to CNN.
Here is everything we know about Boelter:
Who is Vance Boelter?
Boelter lived just south of Erin Lake, in Green Isle – over 50 miles from Minneapolis – and worked at a funeral home. He also owned guns, and voted for President Donald Trump last year, a childhood friend said.
David Carlson, who lives at an address close by where police executed a search warrant for Boelter, told reporters that he’s known Boelter since the fourth grade and considered him a close friend. He appeared shaken as he spoke to reporters over the weekend and said Boleter “wasn’t as cheerful as he used to be,” but he never expected him to commit any violence.
On the day of the attacks, he revealed that Boelter had sent him a text message saying that he might be dead soon.
Political ties
The suspect had also been appointed more than once to the Workforce Development Board – an advisory board to the state Governor on Minnesota’s workforce system – where he served with State Senator John A. Hoffman, one of the victims, according to records seen by The New York Times.
Gov. Tim Walz most recently appointed Boelter to the board. Mark Dayton, a Democrat who was then the governor, previously named him to the panel in 2016.
A LinkedIn page also revealed that the suspect spent over three years in the Democratic Republic of Congo “working on several projects” under the alias of the Red Lion Group, a company that his friends claim was a bogus security firm. A webpage link to the Red Lion Group came up as “expired” when clicked.
Boelter’s political affiliation was last registered as voting “Republican” in 2004, under Oklahoma voter registration records.
More recent records of him in 2020 and 2022 listed him as having “no party preference,” but stated that his voting status was active. Voters are not legally required to declare their political affiliation when they register in Minnesota.
Carlson, who said Boelter rented a room in the same home as him and stayed a few days a week, told The Times that his friend is a Christian who strongly opposes abortion.
Boelter also had included her name and other lawmakers in a list – they were all Democrats. In the list, 70 potential targets were noted, a federal law enforcement official said. Of those written down, doctors, community and business leaders, and locations for Planned Parenthood and other health care centers were listed. Some of the targets were in neighboring states.
