Death Penalty Off the Table for Boelter, DOJ Says

(KNSI) – The U.S. Department of Justice says the death penalty is completely off the table in the case against Vance Boelter, the man charged in the murder of former Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband.

A DOJ spokesperson tells ABC News that capital punishment is not applicable, regardless of whether Boelter pleads guilty to all state and federal charges.

The statement disputes earlier reporting from a KSTP source, who said plea deal negotiations were underway between federal prosecutors and Boelter’s attorneys. The DOJ spokesperson called that information false and said the person who provided it should be fired. The department points to U.S. Supreme Court case law that narrowly defines a “crime of violence.” Because a person can be stalked without violence, the DOJ says that charge likely doesn’t meet the definition. The spokesperson added that a court rejected a similar argument in a case earlier this year.

The death penalty decision had previously been in the hands of former Attorney General Pam Bondi. After her resignation, it fell to Todd Blanche, who took over as acting Attorney General. The DOJ spokesperson says leadership is in agreement that the death penalty is not applicable.

Defending the department’s handling of the case, the spokesperson provided the following statement to ABC News. “Bringing justice to the families and loved ones of victims of violence is the number one priority of the Department of Justice,” the spokesperson said. “Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he was held accountable to the fullest extent possible.”

Boelter is accused of impersonating a police officer and killing the Hortmans and their dog at their Brooklyn Park home in June 2025. State Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot the same night at their home in Champlin and critically injured, but both survived.

He is charged with murder and stalking in the Hortman deaths, and is federally charged in the shooting of the Hoffmans and the attempted shooting of their daughter, Hope. Boelter also faces state charges in the killings, though the federal charges are taking precedence.

The developments come as Minnesota approaches the one-year anniversary of the June attacks.

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