Vance Boelter’s wife, Jenny, called the attack on two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses allegedly carried out by her husband “a betrayal.”
Killed, wounded Minnesota state lawmakers honored at vigil
Neighbors gathered to honor state Rep. Melissa Hortman and state Sen. John Hoffman. Hortman was killed and Hoffman was wounded in separate shootings.
The wife of the man accused of shooting two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses said she was “completely blindsided” by the attack allegedly carried out by her husband.
Vance Boelter, 57, is facing state and federal charges in connection with the killing of state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the shooting of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. Officials have called the attack a targeted “political assassination.”
“We are absolutely shocked, heartbroken and completely blindsided. This violence does not at all align with our beliefs as a family,” Jenny Boelter said in a statement released by her attorneys. “It is a betrayal of everything we hold true as tenets of our Christian faith.”
In the hours after the shootings, Vance Boelter sent multiple text messages to his wife and his family, according to a federal affidavit.
“Dad went to war last night … I dont wanna say more because I dont wanna implicate anybody,” Vance Boelter said in a message to a group chat that included his wife and children, according to the affidavit .
The affidavit said Vance Boelter also sent his wife a separate message saying, “Words are not gonna explain how sorry I am for this situation … there’s gonna be some people coming to the house armed and trigger-happy and I don’t want you guys around.”
According to the affidavit, law enforcement used cell phone data to locate Boelter’s wife after the shooting. Jenny Boelter said law enforcement officials contacted her in the morning on June 14 and she met them voluntarily at a nearby gas station.
“We were not pulled over; we parked and waited until they arrived,” she said in the statement. “When they did, we voluntarily agreed to meet with them, answer their questions, provide all items they requested, and cooperate with all searches.”
When asked about Jenny Boelter’s claims, FBI spokesperson Cindy Burnham told USA TODAY, “To preserve the integrity and capabilities of the investigation, I cannot share any details at this time.”
Officials said Jenny Boelter agreed to a search of her phone and car. She was traveling with her four children to visit friends northwest of the metro area, a federal complaint said.
In the car, officers found a safe, all of the children’s passports as well as Jenny Boelter’s, about $10,000 in cash, a revolver pistol in the glove box and another semi-automatic pistol in a cooler, the FBI said in the complaint. She told police her husband was a doomsday “prepper” with “bailout” plan in the event of a catastrophe.
Contributing: Michael Loria and Christopher Cann
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