A Minnesota man is accused of killing a state representative and her spouse, wounding a state senator and his wife, and targeting two other politicians in what Minnesota authorities are calling a night of “political assassinations” that seemingly targeted Democrats. Vance Boelter is charged with stalking and first-degree murder after authorities say he killed state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and wounded state Sen. John Hoffman. When police found Boelter after a manhunt, he allegedly had a list of 45 elected officials he planned to target that included other Democratic lawmakers.
But Boelter’s specific ideologies and full list of targets aren’t necessary to know, says Northeastern University research professor of criminology James Alan Fox, and having this information won’t help bring understanding to “senseless violence.” “People think they can understand it better if they understand the motives,” Fox says. “But the specifics of it are not important in terms of prosecution and sentencing. … It’s clear, from what we know of his targets, that he had a grudge against Democrats and abortion supporters. We don’t know what themes were going on in his head. The critical issue is whether he did it and whether he’ll be sentenced.”
