Man charged with killing Hortman says he looks forward to ‘truth’ coming out
ST. PAUL (AP) — The man charged with killing former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband on June 14, and wounding a state senator and his wife, said Thursday that he’s looking forward to the facts coming out about what happened that day.
During a court appearance, Vance Boelter waived his right to full hearings on whether he should remain jailed without bail, and on probable cause, where the judge would determine whether the government has enough evidence to proceed with prosecuting the case. Thursday’s hearing lasted less than 10 minutes.
“Your honor, I’m looking forward to court, and looking forward to the facts about the 14th coming out,” Boelter told Magistrate Judge Douglas Micko. Boelter affirmed that he knowingly waived his rights to the full hearings he was entitled. “That gets us to court faster, where the truth can come out.”
A date for Boelter’s next court appearance has not been set. The acting U.S. attorney for Minnesota, Joe Thompson, told reporters afterward that the next step is for a grand jury to return an indictment, which is due by mid-July and could include additional charges. Boelter would then return to court for an arraignment, which is when he’d be expected to enter a plea.
Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, was wearing a standard two-piece yellow jail uniform with a yellow T-shirt underneath and orange slippers when federal marshals escorted him into court on Thursday. He appeared clean-shaven, except for a goatee.
That contrasted with the green padded suicide prevention suit that an unshaven Boelter wore when he was brought into court last Friday. That hearing was put on hold until Thursday at the request of his federal defender, Manny Atwal, who said her client had been unable to sleep while on suicide watch due to harsh jail conditions, making it difficult for them to communicate.
Boelter complained that he’s still being held in a cell where the lights are never out, “and I don’t know if it’s day or night.” But Micko said the conditions at the Sherburne County Jail are not up to him.