Accused in the Murder of a Minnesota Democrat Appears in Court

• Vens Boelter, the accused in the murder, does not plead guilty.
• The case is considered complex due to the large amount of evidence.
• Boelter fired a gun under the guise of a police officer.

MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A man accused of murdering a prominent Minnesota Democrat and another man, as well as in the shooting of a state senator and his friend, is expected to plead not guilty during an arraignment in federal court on Thursday, according to his attorney.

Vens Boelter, 58, from Green Isle, Minnesota, was charged on July 15 with six counts of murder, assault, and violation of firearm regulations. Murders can fall under federal death penalty jurisdiction, although prosecutors say this decision will only be made after several months.

Prosecutors provided a written letter, in which, according to their words, Boelter is identified in the shooting on June 14, but it does not explain why he chose this target. The hearing before U.S. District Judge Dulce Foster will also discuss a conference with the case management, where they plan to clarify the timeline of subsequent actions.

Prosecutors stated that the case should be recognized as "complex" so that standard requirements for expedited court proceedings are not applied, since both sides need sufficient time to review a large amount of evidence.

The investigation of this case has become part of the largest in Minnesota history involving a murder. Evidence may include thousands of hours of video, tens of thousands of pages of documents, and data from electronic devices, excluded during the investigation.

Boelter's motivation remains unclear. His friends describe him as an evangelical Christian with conservative political views, who had difficulties with finding work. He compiled lists of politicians, mostly Democrats.

Prosecutors assert that Boelter was detained under police pretense and was found in a false vehicle when on June 14 he was driving a car belonging to state senator John Hoffman, where he committed the shooting. Previously, he was driving a car belonging to Hortman in Brooklyn Park, where he killed their companions.

Boelter turned himself in to the police the following night.

Tags: USA/Crime