Vance Luther Boelter, the man charged with the 2025 shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers, was sentenced on Friday to life in prison after he pled guilty to the crimes to avoid the death penalty. File Photo courtesy of the Minnesota Department of Public Safety/Facebook
July 23 (UPI) -- The man who shot two Minnesota state lawmakers and their spouses was sentenced to life in prison during a sentencing hearing Thursday.
Vance Boelter received two consecutive life sentences, with another 40 years on top, to be served consecutively for fatally shooting Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and shooting and injuring state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, USA Today and CBS News reported.
Judge John Tunheim handed down the sentence weeks after Boelter pleaded guilty to six charges and confessed to the shootings as part of a plea deal to avoid the death penalty.
Tunheim called the sentence "the longest sentence I have imposed after hearing thousands of cases over the years, but it is well deserved" during the hearing.
