Slain Minnesota lawmaker Melissa Hortman, husband and dog to lie in state
Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband will lie in state after they were killed in what authorities called a political assassination.
N'dea Yancey-BraggRep. Melissa Hortman, her husband Mark and their golden retriever Gilbert will lie in state at the Minnesota State Capitol on June 27 after they were killed in what officials have called a “politically motivated assassination.”
Hortman and her husband were shot and killed inside their home on June 14. After what has been described as the largest manhunt in Minnesota history, Vance Luther Boelter, 57, was arrested and charged in state and federal court in connection with the shooting.
Prosecutors say Boelter also went to the home of Minnesota Sen. John Hoffman disguised as a law enforcement officer and wounded Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. He then traveled to two other unnamed lawmakers' homes before entering the Hortmans' home and killing them, according to a federal affidavit.
The affidavit says Boelter wanted to “kill, injure, harass and intimidate'' more than 45 Minnesota state and federal officials and prosecutors say he also intended to target several other Midwestern lawmakers.
Hortman will be the first woman and one of fewer than 20 Minnesotans to lie in state at the Capitol, according to a release from the state's House of Representatives. Members of the public will be able to pay their respects from 12 p.m. to 5 p.m. local time.
The tribute will come on the same day Boelter is expected to appear in federal court, where he faces half a dozen charges, including multiple counts of murder and stalking.
A private funeral for the Hortmans, which will be livestreamed, will follow on June 28, officials said.
The couple had two children and lived in Brooklyn Park, a suburban city about 10 miles north of Minneapolis, according to Hortman's profile.
Hoffman and Hortman are both members of the Minnesota Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL), a political party exclusive to the state. Hortman was elected in 2004 and was speaker-emerita of the House of Representatives, which is narrowly controlled by Republicans.
Hortman served the people of Minnesota with compassion and grace, Gov. Tim Walz previously said.
“Our state lost a great leader and I lost the dearest of friends," Walz said. "She woke up every day determined to make this state a better place.”
Contributing: Jeanine Santucci, Eduardo Cuevas, Christopher Cann, Terry Collins and Jorge L. Ortiz, USA TODAY