Hundreds attend vigil at Minnesota Capitol for slain lawmaker and her husband

Minnesota Star Tribune staff, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jun 18, 2025

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ST. PAUL, Minn. — Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, attended a candlelight vigil Wednesday evening honoring state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, who were killed in what officials have called a targeted act of political violence.

Hundreds gathered on the steps of the State Capitol in St. Paul to pay their respects to the Hortmans. An estimated 1,500 people were in attendance, spread across the upper lawn and steps. Several brought their golden retrievers, in honor of the Hortmans’ love of dogs.

The Hortman family, as well as politicians such as Lt. Gov. Peggy Flanagan and St. Paul Mayor Melvin Carter, was present Wednesday at the event.

The vigil was scheduled from 8 to 9:30 p.m. Those attending had been asked to bring their own candles but to avoid bringing any signs.

A Minnesota man has been charged with the killings of the Hortmans, as well as the shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman, DFL-Champlin, and his wife, Yvette. Vance Boelter, 57, was captured after an extensive manhunt that stretched from early Saturday to late Sunday.

Walz honored Rep. Hortman, who served as speaker of the Minnesota House, as the “most consequential” in state history.

“One man’s unthinkable actions have altered the state of Minnesota. Melissa Hortman was the core of who our values were,” Walz said at a news conference shortly after Boelter was apprehended. “We’ll take solace in the memory and the work that Melissa did.”

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