DOJ: Death Penalty Off Table in Case Against Vance Boelter

(KSTP) A Department of Justice spokesperson said that the death penalty is completely off the table in the case against Vance Boelter, the suspect charged in the murder of former Minnesota Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, regardless of whether he pleads guilty to all state and federal charges.

KSTP reports the DOJ said that because of Supreme Court case law, a crime of violence has a narrow definition, and because you can stalk someone without violence, it probably doesn’t meet that definition. They added that a court rejected that argument in a case earlier this year.

This comes as we approach the one-year anniversary of the attacks, which also critically injured State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette.

The DOJ spokesperson says leadership is in agreement that the death penalty is not applicable.