What are Vance Luther Boelter’s politics? Alleged Minnesota assassin was appointed by Tim Walz, ‘voted for Trump’
MINNEAPOLIS — The massive manhunt for alleged Minnesota political assassin Vance Luther Boelter — and revelations about his bizarre life and backstory — have sparked major questions about his political affiliations and motives.
Cops believe that Boelter murdered a top Democratic state lawmaker and attempted to kill another. But he was also appointed to a state advisory board by Democratic Gov. Tim Walz.
Boelter claimed to have a doctorate in education, and said he spent extensive time in the Democratic Republic of the Congo in Africa — where he was seen in videos apparently preaching on stage.
Boelter, 57, is being hunted by authorities in connection with the assassination of Democratic Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, in their suburban Minneapolis home early Saturday, in what Walz described as “targeted political violence.”
The suspected assassin, who reportedly had a list of 70 “targets” including Walz, is also accused of badly wounding a second Democratic lawmaker, state Sen. John Hoffman, and his wife, Yvette, at their home in Champlin, a northern suburb of Minneapolis, on Saturday.
Boelter was reportedly impersonating law enforcement when he entered both lawmakers’ homes and when he later exchanged gunfire with police.
Haunting security camera footage believed to show him wearing a creepy latex mask of an old man’s face was shared on Saturday by the FBI, which issued a $50,000 reward for information leading to his capture.
‘Politically motivated assassination’
Walz described the killing of Hortman as “a politically motivated assassination.”
His roommate said he had conservative political views, but rarely talked about politics and didn’t seem overtly political.
“He was a Trump supporter. He voted for Trump. He liked Trump. I like Trump,” lifelong friend David Carlson told The Post.
“He didn’t like abortion.”
Boelter lived with Carlson and another man part-time while he worked a job in Minneapolis — while his wife and children lived on a farm in rural Green Isle, about 50 minutes from the big city.
Following the shootings, he sent a sinister message to his friends.
“I’m going to be gone for a while. May be dead shortly, so I just want to let you know I love you guys both and I wish it hadn’t gone this way,” he said in the message, as reported by the Minnesota Star Tribune.
When cops searched Boelter’s car, they found a list of targeted individuals including several politicians as well as abortion providers and pro-abortion politicians, the Star Tribune reported.
Those included Democratic Rep. Kelly Morrison and US Sen. Tina Smith, according to their respective offices.
A picture of handwritten flyers with the slogan “No Kings,” which has become a popular anti-Trump rallying cry, were also reportedly found in his car, according to law enforcement.
Appointed by Walz
Two notices of appointment for Boelter to the Governor’s Workforce Development Board (GWDB) were obtained by KTTC.
Although the exact motivations for Boelter’s alleged crimes are unclear, it is known that he served on the same state workforce development board as Sen. Hoffman, the Minnesota Bureau of Criminal Apprehension said.
The first notice was issued by Walz’s predecessor, Mark Dayton, a fellow Democrat, in June 2016 for a two-year term.
Boelter was listed as a private sector representative for Dayton’s appointment.
He was reappointed to the board by Walz in December 2019, this time as a business member, for a term that expired in January 2023.
The GWDB is listed under Minnesota’s Department of Employment and Economic Development (DEED), which includes Sen. Hoffman under its current membership directory.
Walz sources told the Minneapolis Star-Tribune that the governor, who was Kamala Harris’ vice presidential running mate, didn’t know Boelter.
Boelter was merely reappointed to a bipartisan advisory board that had 60 members, his office told the newspaper.
Mysterious work history
Boelter spent much of his career in the food industry, working at Nestle and Del Monte, as well as a spell at Wisconsin-based Johnsonville Sausage, according to his LinkedIn profile.
He is a St. Cloud State University graduate and later received his master of science and a doctorate in education from Cardinal Stritch University, a private Catholic establishment in Milwaukee, which closed in May 2023 following financial challenges and declining enrollment.
He spent a decade as a general manager at a Greencore grocery store and at a 7-Eleven in Minneapolis before leaving in November 2021 to become CEO of a mysterious company called Red Lion Group.
It is not clear what the company did and the website for Red Lion Group, linked to Boelter’s LinkedIn profile, is down.
Boelter also claimed he was the head of a security company in Minnesota, but also reportedly had links to central Africa.
A month ago, Boelter claimed he was looking for work and wanted to get back into the food industry on his LinkedIn, while also describing his recent work in Africa with the mystery Red Lion Group.
“I’m looking to get back into the US Food Industry and I’m pretty open to positions,” he wrote. “I have been doing projects in the Democratic Republic of Congo in central Africa the last three years with Red Lion Group. If you hear of any opportunities or just want to catch up, please send me a message.”
He described himself as open to senior roles in Texas, Minnesota, Florida and the Washington, DC-Baltimore area.
Two years ago, he claimed he was “currently in the Democratic Republic of Congo working on several projects,” adding that “Red Lion Group had a great meeting with the new Governor of Congo Central to talk about our private business projects that are all moving forward.”
Boelter is also listed as the director of security patrols on the website of the Praetorian Guard Security Services, which uses a photo of him also shared by the FBI.
Praetorian Guard Security Services claimed to provide residential armed home security in Minnesota. However, his roommate Carlson said the company never had any clients or employees.
“His dream was to have a security company. He never was or never had a security company. It’s like me saying I want to start a company selling hot dogs, but I need a hot dog stand,” he said.
“I find a hot dog stand and I need supplies and it never kinda works out and I have the hot dog stand.”
Despite that, he made big claims about his work.
“Vance has been involved with security situations in Eastern Europe, Africa, North America and the Middle East, including the West Bank, Southern Lebanon and the Gaza Strip,” his profile on the company website reads.
“He brings a great security aspect forged by both many on the ground experiences combined with training by both private security firms and by people in the U.S. Military. He has worked for the largest U.S. oil refining company, the world’s largest food company based in Switzerland and the world’s largest convenience retailer based in Japan.”
Search continues
Every morning, the NY POSTcast offers a deep dive into the headlines with the Post’s signature mix of politics, business, pop culture, true crime and everything in between. Subscribe here!
Police on Sunday are still surrounding Boelter’s home around five miles from the remote hamlet of Green Isle, which itself is an hour outside Minneapolis.
His only public criminal history in Minnesota is for minor traffic tickets including speeding and parking violations, KTTC reports.
Follow the latest on the arrest of suspected Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter:
- Chilling notebooks found in accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter’s car detail meticulous planning of twisted attack
- Minnesota state Sen. Ann Rest —who escaped accused assassin Vance Boelter’s crosshairs — speaks out on ‘scary’ ordeal
- Alleged Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter texted family, ‘Dad went to war last night’ hours after killing spree: prosecutors
- Alleged Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter cries poverty during court appearance, claims he can’t afford lawyer despite owning home, 7 cars
The manhunt for Boelter is continuing into Sunday with parts of suburban Minneapolis put under shelter-in-place orders.
Residents in South Dakota were warned to watch out for a maroon Buick potentially being driven by a “person of interest in the events that have happened in Minnesota,” who could be traveling with someone “armed and dangerous,” according to law enforcement.
