The Twin Cities residence where former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot on Saturday was broken into overnight Wednesday, according to police.
The couple was killed around 3:30 a.m. Saturday in their Brooklyn Park home in what Governor Tim Walz has described as a “political assassination.”
Police said the home had been boarded up early Sunday after investigators completed processing the crime scene. Family members had retrieved “items of value” from the property on Tuesday, authorities added.
“It was discovered that the plywood covering the rear window of the home had been pried off and the window broken to gain entry,” police noted in a Wednesday statement.
Police say crime scene investigators searched the home again, and family members say “they don’t believe anything was missing.” Police are continuing to search for the suspect, CBS News reported.
A longtime neighbor of the Hortmans, Geoff Olinyk, told CBS he’s outraged by the break-in.
“Whoever it was that broke in has no respect for the deceased couple that lived here,” Olinyk said. “It’s a horrible deal that people would come now and desecrate their memory by breaking into the house.”
Vance Boelter has been formally charged in the shootings of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses, with the FBI revealing that he visited the homes of several other elected officials on the same night he fatally shot Melissa Hortman and her husband, and separately wounded State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife.
According to a criminal complaint filed Saturday in Hennepin County Court, Boelter, 57, faces two counts of second-degree murder and two counts of second-degree attempted murder.
In addition, Boelter is facing six federal charges, including stalking and murder, CBS News reported separately.
The FBI held a press conference Monday morning to provide updates on the case, and Boelter appeared in federal court in St. Paul later that afternoon, wearing an orange jumpsuit and under police escort.
Boelter was taken into custody Sunday night near his home in Sibley County after a manhunt that lasted more than 36 hours.
During a separate press conference Monday morning, the FBI disclosed that on the same night he killed Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband and wounded Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Boelter also visited the homes of two other Minnesota lawmakers, the outlet reported.
Following the shooting at the Hoffmans’ home, Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph H. Thompson stated that Boelter traveled to the residence of a state representative in Maple Grove. However, the lawmaker was on vacation and not home at the time, CBS News noted.
Boelter then allegedly proceeded to the home of a state senator in New Hope. After learning about the Champlin shooting, a New Hope police officer conducted a wellness check at the senator’s residence. Upon arrival, the officer found what appeared to be a squad car—later identified as Boelter’s vehicle—parked outside.
The officer attempted to speak with Boelter, who did not respond. By the time backup arrived, Boelter had fled the scene.
The FBI has not publicly identified the two additional lawmakers allegedly targeted. However, State Sen. Ann Rest (DFL–New Hope) confirmed in a statement Monday that she had been informed Boelter’s SUV was spotted near her home Saturday morning.
“I am so grateful for the heroic work of the New Hope Police Department and its officers,” Rest said. “Their quick action saved my life.”
Thompson said that after leaving New Hope, Boelter went to the Hortmans’ residence in Brooklyn Park. When police arrived, they spotted him just feet from the front door. He drew a firearm, prompting an exchange of gunfire before he forced his way into the house and opened fire at the front door before breaking in and allegedly killing the Hortmans.
