Melissa Hortman, husband honored at Minneapolis funeral

Slain Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were laid to rest Saturday — weeks after they were killed in what authorities allege was a politically motivated shooting spree.

The private ceremony took place at the Basilica of Saint Mary in Minneapolis and drew hundreds of mourners, including former President Joe Biden, Vice President Kamala Harris, Gov. Tim Walz and dozens of state lawmakers. More than 1,900 people tuned in to the livestream.

“Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential Speaker in Minnesota history,” Walz said during his eulogy. “Millions of Minnesotans get to live their lives better because she and Mark chose public service and politics.”

Hortman, 54, and her husband were gunned down June 10 inside their Brooklyn Park home by Vance Boelter, who was a political appointee of Walz, and allegedly targeted the Hortmans as part of a planned series of attacks on Democratic officials, prosecutors said. The couple’s golden retriever, Gilbert, was also shot and later euthanized.

The couple’s closed caskets sat side by side at the front of the church, draped in blankets. Every pew was filled. Soft music played as family, friends and colleagues prayed and wiped away tears.

The service began around 11:30 a.m. and included scripture readings, prayers and emotional tributes to the couple’s public service and devotion to their family.

During the blessing, the priest called Minnesota “a ground zero place for political violence and extremism,” referencing both the killing of George Floyd and the recent attacks on state officials.

“This can be a ground zero for restoration and justice and healing, but we must work together,” he said.

Roughly 90 minutes before the double murder, Boelter allegedly opened fire on state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, at their Champlin home just miles away. Both survived despite sustaining multiple gunshot wounds.

Boelter, 57, was arrested after a 36-hour manhunt — the largest in state history — and appeared in federal court Friday on two counts of murder, two counts of stalking and two weapons charges. Prosecutors say he could face the death penalty. A separate state trial could result in life without parole.

He remains in federal custody. 

His wife, Jenny, issued a statement Thursday offering condolences to the victims’ families and calling the killings “a betrayal of everything we hold true.”

Hortman was first elected to the Minnesota House in 2004 and served as Speaker for three terms. Her district included Brooklyn Park, Coon Rapids and Champlin.

She is among the highest-ranking elected officials to be killed in recent years — part of a troubling rise in political violence nationwide. The couple is survived by two adult children, Sophie, 28 and Colin, 30.