The decision of whether to seek a death sentence against Vance Boelter ultimately lies in the hands of the Trump administration’s attorney general, a vocal supporter of capital punishment.
The federal charges filed against Boelter carry that possibility. The Green Isle man is accused of stalking and then fatally shooting Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, this past weekend. Acting U.S. Attorney Joseph Thompson said earlier this week it’s “too early to tell” whether prosecutors will seek the death sentence for Boelter.
U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi has spoken in support of capital punishment since taking office. Her statements suggest Boelter’s case may be part of a dramatic federal shift toward a punishment rarely used in recent years.
Shortly after her Senate confirmation, Bondi issued a memorandum that rolled back a 2021 Biden administration moratorium on federal executions.
To place a federal case on track for the death penalty, the charges undergo a review by a unit specializing in capital crimes within the Justice Department in consultation with the local U.S. Attorney’s Office. The unit analyzes cases filed by federal prosecutors with offenses eligible for capital punishment and makes a recommendation “concerning the appropriateness’' of that penalty. Their analysis is then presented to Bondi, who decides whether to give prosecutors the green light to pursue it.
In response to a Minnesota Star Tribune inquiry, a DOJ spokesperson noted the February Bondi memorandum that revived federal executions.
In her memo, Bondi emphasized federal prosecutors “shall seek the death penalty … for the most serious, readily provable offenses,” including those “involving the murder of a law-enforcement officer.” Bondi cited the killing of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent David “Chris” Maland as an example. The 44-year-old Blue Earth, Minn., native was shot during a traffic stop in Vermont near the Canadian border in January. Teresa Youngblut, 21, of Washington state, has pleaded not guilty to a charge of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer.
The memo followed an executive order signed by President Donald Trump in January calling capital punishment “an essential tool for deterring and punishing those who would commit the most heinous crimes and acts of lethal violence against American citizens.”
