The decision whether to seek a death sentence against Vance Boelter will ultimately lie in the hands of the Trump administration’s attorney general, a vocal supporter of capital punishment.
Federal charges filed against Boelter carry the possibility of the death penalty. The Green Isle man is accused of stalking, then fatally shooting, Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark this past weekend. Interim U.S. Attorney Joe Thompson said earlier this week it’s “too early to tell” if prosecutors will seek Boelter be put to death if found guilty.
That decision ultimately rests with U.S. Attorney General Pam Bondi, who has spoken in support of capital punishment since taking office. Her statements suggest Boelter’s case may be part of dramatic shift toward a punishment rarely used in recent years.
Shortly after her Senate confirmation as Attorney General, 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 U.S. Department of Justice. The unit analyzes cases filed by federal prosecutors with offenses eligible for capital punishment and makes a recommendation “concerning the appropriateness of seeking the death penalty.” Their analysis is then presented to Bondi, who decides whether to give prosecutors the green light to pursue a death sentence.
The DOJ did not comment whether it intends to authorize pursuing a death sentence in the Boelter case when asked by the Star Tribune. A spokesperson did note 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 cases “involving the murder of a law-enforcement officer.” Bondi cited the killing of U.S. Customs and Border Patrol agent David 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 her charge of assaulting a federal law enforcement officer in Maland’s death.
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.”
