


Vance Boelter, the man accused of assassinating two Minnesota lawmakers and wounding two others, pleaded not guilty to murder charges.
Boelter’s lawyer entered a not guilty plea during his Thursday arraignment, according to the Associated Press. Boelter spoke briefly to acknowledge the charges and thank the judge.
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On July 15, Boelter was indicted by a federal grand jury on charges including murder, stalking, and possession of a firearm. He also faces state charges of two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of attempted second-degree murder, as well as federal stalking and firearms charges.
Boelter is accused of shooting Democratic Minnesota state Sen. John Hoffman nine times and his wife, Yvette, eight times after showing up at their door dressed as a police officer and wearing a realistic silicone mask in the early hours of June 14. Boelter is also charged with assassinating Democratic Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, just before showing up at the Hoffmans’ house.
The Hoffmans survived and were rushed to the hospital in critical condition. Both have since been discharged from the hospital, with John Hoffman continuing his recovery at a rehabilitation center.
Boelter’s motivation remains unclear, but investigators found a 1 1/2 page letter, described as rambling and difficult to read, that was ascribed to him. In it, Boelter said he was secretly trained by the U.S. military and asked to perform the shootings so Gov. Tim Walz (D-MN) could run for Sen. Amy Klobuchar’s (D-MN) seat, two sources familiar with the matter told the Minnesota Star Tribune. The note was reportedly addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel.
Last month, Boelter spoke with the New York Post in an interview, his first since his arrest. He said reporters were “fishing” for a motivation and that the shootings were unrelated to President Donald Trump or abortion, as was previously hypothesized.
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“I will just say there is a lot of information that will come out in the future that people will look at and judge for themselves, that goes back 24 months before the 14th. If the gov ever [lets] it get out,” Boelter said.
Boelter was caught after a two-day search, the largest in Minnesota history. Investigators also discovered several of Boelter’s outlandish projects, including solving hunger in the United States through Good Samaritan laws and creating a Hollywood-like studio in the Democratic Republic of the Congo called “CONGOWOOD.”