Washington DC - A Minnesota man who murdered a state lawmaker and her husband was sentenced to life in prison on Thursday for what a judge called an "attack on democracy," US media reported.
Vance Boelter (59) disguised himself as a police officer during the June 14, 2025, shootings at the homes of two Democratic members of the Minnesota state legislature.
State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were killed in what the authorities said was a politically motivated attack. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were seriously wounded.
Boelter pleaded guilty in June to six federal charges, including two counts of murder by firearm, after prosecutors said they would not seek the death penalty.
Judge John Tunheim sentenced Boelter to two life terms in prison plus 40 years without the possibility of parole, the Minnesota Star Tribune said.
"This was a brutal attack on elected public officials and their families, which is truly an attack on democracy itself," the newspaper quoted the judge as saying.
The Hortmans' children, Sophie and Colin, addressed the court at the emotional sentencing hearing, the Star Tribune said.
"I miss my mom. I miss my dad," Sophie Hortman said. "I miss believing in the goodness of humanity."
Boelter also faces state charges in connection with the shooting, but Minnesota does not have the death penalty.