The man accused of fatally shooting a Minnesota lawmaker and her husband last weekend had given his wife instructions for a “bailout plan” in the event the family ever needed to flee suddenly, according to an FBI agent.
This photo made available by the Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office shows Vance Luther Boelter, the man accused of assassinating the top Democrat in the Minnesota House, as he was arrested late Sunday, June 15, 2025. (Ramsey County Sheriff’s Office via AP)
In an affidavit unsealed Friday, the agent, Terry Getsch, said that the man charged in the shootings, Vance Boelter, and his wife were “preppers,” a term referring to people who believe a catastrophic event is imminent and go to great lengths to prepare for its arrival.
Hours after the attacks early Saturday — which killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette — Boelter sent a text message to his wife and children, according to the court document.
“The text stated something to the effect of they should prepare for war, they needed to get out of the house and people with guns may be showing up to the house,” Getsch wrote.
The Hortman killings were part of what authorities said was Boelter’s broader plot to assassinate politicians. And at some point before the shootings, the agent said, Boelter had given his wife a plan to follow in the event of “exigent circumstances.” Part of that plan entailed traveling to his mother-in-law’s residence in Spring Brook, Wis., roughly 75 miles from the Twin Cities.
Boelter’s wife, Jenny, has not been charged with any crime, and the new court filing does not suggest that she and their children knew about a plot to kill politicians.
Boelter has not entered a plea. Katherian Roe, a federal public defender who is representing Boelter, did not respond to an email Friday seeking comment.
As of Friday afternoon, law enforcement officials said they had found no sign that Boelter had accomplices.
“The evidence we have at the moment indicates Boelter acted alone,” Inspector Matt Rabe of the Brooklyn Park police department said in an email. “We are continuing to investigate if he received help after the attacks.”
Both lawmakers in the attack were Democrats. Authorities have said the gunman had a list of additional targets that included dozens of elected officials and some abortion providers.
Boelter has a hearing in federal court next Friday, where he may enter a plea.
Mark Bruley, center, the police chief of Brooklyn Park, speaks with members of the community in Brooklyn Park on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Jenn Ackerman / The New York Times)
On Friday night, residents of the region gathered in a local high school, where law enforcement officers answered questions from the public and Minnesota leaders, including Gov. Tim Walz, reflected on the attacks.
Walz appeared emotional at times as he described how he was feeling, and how the community is feeling.
Gov. Tim Walz speaks to members of the community in Brooklyn Park on Friday, June 20, 2025. (Jenn Ackerman / The New York Times)
“It’s pretty hard, I think, for all of us,” he said, “when we’re running into people, and they’re asking how we’re doing. And my answer now is kind of day by day. This was a grievous wound that Minnesota experienced.”
This article originally appeared in The New York Times.
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