FILE PHOTO: Suspected Minnesota shooter in custody
By Rich McKay
(Reuters) -The suspect in the assassination of Minnesota’s house speaker and her husband, and the attempted murder of a state senator and his wife, pleaded not guilty to numerous charges in federal court on Thursday, according to media accounts.
Vance Luther Boelter, 58, of Green Isle, Minnesota, led police on a two-day manhunt after the June 14 shootings in New Hope, Minnesota. He appeared before U.S. Magistrate Judge Dulce Foster on Thursday and waived the reading of his six-count indictment, the Minneapolis Star Tribune reported.
He entered a plea of not guilty in the murders of Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, and the shooting of state Senator John Hoffman and his wife.
Boelter’s attorney, Manny Atwal, could not immediately be reached for comment. There was no immediate statement from Acting U.S. Attorney for Minnesota, Joseph Thompson.
Thompson in a previous statement said Boelter planned and carried out the targeted political assassinations “the likes of which have never been seen in Minnesota.”
During the attacks at the homes of the two lawmakers, Boelter is accused of disguising himself as a police officer and wearing a silicone mask while driving an SUV with a license plate that simply read, “Police.”
Two of the federal charges carry the possibility of the death penalty. Prosecutors have not made a decision whether to pursue a capital sentence, which would require the approval of U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi.
Boelter also faces state charges including two counts of second-degree intentional murder and two counts of second-degree attempted intentional murder. Boelter’s state case has been paused as his federal proceedings continue.
(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Bill Berkrot)
