MINNEAPOLIMEDIA NEWS | Vance Boelter's Minnesota Murder Trial Delayed Until May 2027 as Defense Confronts Massive Evidence Record

A Hennepin County judge has moved Vance Boelter's state murder trial from November 2 to May 10, 2027, after defense attorneys said they could not adequately review thousands of pieces of evidence before the original trial date.

MINNEAPOLIS, MN (October 6, 2026).

Vance Boelter will not face a Minnesota jury next month for the killings of former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, after a Hennepin County judge granted the defense additional time and moved the state trial into May 2027.

Judge Juan G. Hoyos ruled Monday that Boelter's trial will begin May 10, 2027, at 9 a.m., approximately six months later than the November 2 date previously scheduled.

The delay came after Boelter's attorneys argued that the enormous amount of evidence assembled in the case made it impossible to prepare adequately by November.

Boelter had previously invoked his right to a speedy trial. His defense subsequently sought the continuance because attorneys said they could not complete their review of thousands of pieces of evidence within the original timetable.

The state prosecution is separate from the federal case in which Boelter has already pleaded guilty to murdering Melissa and Mark Hortman.

The June 14, 2025 attacks shook the Minnesota government and triggered one of the largest manhunts in state history. Boelter also admitted in federal court to the shootings of state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, who survived.

The state case remains consequential despite the federal convictions because Minnesota prosecutors brought their own homicide and related charges arising from the attacks.

Monday's hearing also left unresolved another significant issue surrounding the state proceedings.

Hoyos imposed a temporary gag order last week preventing Boelter, defense lawyers, prosecutors, potential witnesses and court employees from making public statements outside court about the case.

Attorneys discussed that order Monday, but the judge did not issue a final ruling. The temporary restrictions remain in place.

Hoyos scheduled an evidentiary hearing for October 16 concerning the gag-order dispute.

When Boelter sought permission to make a statement during Monday's proceeding, Hoyos declined, saying the court already possessed the information needed to consider the matter.

The delay illustrates the unusual procedural complexity created when the same defendant faces major federal and state prosecutions arising from the same violent episode.

Evidence accumulated through the investigation includes digital records, physical evidence, witness statements and material gathered during the search for Boelter after the attacks.

Granting additional preparation time does not dismiss or reduce the state charges. It changes the timetable under which prosecutors and defense attorneys will bring those charges before a jury.

The next immediate proceeding is therefore not the murder trial itself but the October 16 hearing concerning restrictions on public statements.

Unless the schedule changes again, jury proceedings in the Minnesota case will begin May 10.

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