MINNEAPOLIS — A state-level grand jury indicted Vance Boelter in the assassination of State Representative Melissa Hortman and her husband in Jine. The indictment largely mirrors an earlier federal indictment. The duplicate proceedings will eventually need to be sorted out. For Boelter the jurisdiction question could be a matter of life or death. If the federal indictment leads to trial and a verdict of guilty, Boelter could be executed by lethal injection. If there is a guilty verdict in a Minnesota state court, the maximum penalty would be life imprisonment. Both the federal and state indictments also accuse Boelter of shooting and wounding State Senator John Hoffman and his wife the same night. The state indictment also recommends a charge of animal cruelty for shooting the Hortmans’ golden retriever Gilbert.
Law School 101
Grand juries are citizen panels approved by a judge to investigate whether criminal charges are warranted. These panels meet in closed session, ostensibly to protect citizens against overzealous government prosecutions in major cases. Their job is investigatory. Grand juries do not determine guilt or innocence. They are limited to making a recommendation whether a case should go to trial.