Jennifer Boelter was detained during a traffic stop over the weekend. She had her children with her. She’s the wife of Vance Boelter, the suspected shooter of two Democratic state lawmakers, State Rep. Melissa Hortman and State Sen. John Hoffman and their spouses. Hortman and her husband were killed in the attacks. Jennifer was detained in Onamia, Minnesota, late Saturday morning around 10 AM.
Around $10,000 in cash, a firearm, ammunition, and passports were discovered. Mr. Boelter apparently texted her, “There's gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy, and I don't want you guys around.”
"Dad went to war last night," Vance Boelter texted his wife and other family members at 6:18 a.m. according to the new federal criminal complaint.
— Lou Raguse (@LouRaguse) June 16, 2025
The complaint says Boelter bought some of his tactical gear on June 9 -- flashlight, rifle case, ammo, and letters for making the fake POLICE license plate.
— Lou Raguse (@LouRaguse) June 16, 2025
I don't understand why they let her go. Given the circumstances, we also don’t know if she was placed under arrest.
It’s a bizarre story. The Boelters ran a private security firm, Praetorian Guard Security Services, though there’s no evidence that they had any clients. But that’s after his stint at the equally mysterious Red Lion Group, which did work in Africa and the Middle East.
Mr. Boelter was captured after the largest Minnesota manhunt in history.
In police documents, it seems like Boelter might have tried to rob some of these people. When he attacked the Hoffman residence, he shouted, “This is a robbery,” when they quickly realized that he wasn’t a police officer. Boelter told the judge that he cannot afford a defense lawyer (via ABC News):
He allegedly surveilled his victims' homes and took notes, Thompson said. In a search of a home in north Minneapolis tied to Boelter, authorities seized a list of public officials that had a notation under Melissa Hortman's name reading, "married Mark 2 children 11th term," according to the affidavit. Another notebook included an added notation next to Melissa Hortman's name reading, "Big house off golf course 2 ways in to watch from one spot," the affidavit said.
Thompson outlined the four homes that Boelter allegedly drove to early Saturday.
Boelter allegedly first drove to Hoffman's home in Champlin, Minnesota, in a black SUV with emergency lights turned on and a license plate that said "police," Thompson said.
Hoffman's "chilling" security camera footage showed the suspect in a black tactical vest, body armor and a "hyper-realistic silicon mask," Thompson said. Armed with a flashlight and a 9 mm Beretta handgun, Boelter allegedly knocked on the front door and repeatedly shouted, "This is the police, open the door!" [acting U.S. Attorney for the District of Minnesota Joseph] Thompson said.
When Sen. Hoffman and his wife came to the door, the suspect shined the flashlight in their faces, said there was a shooting reported in the house and asked if the couple had weapons, Thompson said.
The Hoffmans shouted, "You're not a cop!" Thompson said, and then the suspect announced that "this is a robbery" and he forced his way into the home.
The story is soaked in bizarre turns.
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