Minnesota House speaker's killer sentenced to 2 consecutive life terms MINNEAPOLIS (TNND) — The man accused of killing Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, and seriously wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, was sentenced in federal court Thursday after pleading guilty last month. Vance Boelter, 59, entered the guilty plea after the U.S. Attorney's Office in Minneapolis notified the court that the Justice Department would not seek the death penalty as part of a plea agreement. Instead, he agreed to serve two consecutive life sentences plus 40 years in prison. “It will not offer me peace of mind that he will have room and board provided for the rest of his life, paid for by my tax dollars,” said Lisa Hortman Bean, Mark's sister. Boelter was indicted on July 15, 2025, on six federal charges, including murder, stalking and firearms offenses, stemming from the June 14 attacks. He also faces separate state charges, including murder, attempted murder, impersonating a police officer and animal cruelty. During his plea hearing, Boelter admitted he spent months identifying and stalking his targets before driving to their homes in the middle of the night disguised as a police officer with the intent to kill them. "Vance Boelter committed an assault on democracy," federal prosecutors wrote in a sentencing memorandum. "He shattered the lives of his victims. He terrified Minnesota's public servants. He threatened police and pointed a gun at an officer. He viciously attacked the organs of Minnesota's representative government." According to court documents, Boelter first went to the Hoffmans' home, where he shot and critically wounded the senator and his wife. He then drove to the Hortmans' home around 3:30 a.m., rang the doorbell and identified himself as a police officer conducting a welfare check. When Mark Hortman answered the