Profiling The Minnesota Democrat Killer

Why the confusing persona of Vance Boelter actually makes perfect sense, psychologically.

On June 14, a deranged gunman disguised as a police officer knocked on a front door in Hennepin County, Minnesota. When it was opened, he murdered State Representative, Melissa Hortman, and her husband, Mark.

Melissa and Mark leave behind two grown children.

The gunman then drove to the home of Senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette. John, the alleged target, was shot. Yvette was shot eight times as she heroically used her own body to shield their daughter.

Miraculously, both John and Yvette survived.

Police confronted the gunman outside the Hoffman home, but he fled on foot. Inside his vehicle, law enforcement found a stack of No Kings protest fliers, a manifesto, and a hit list. The shooter has been identified as 57-year-old Vance Luther Boelter. He is currently in custody.

Curiously, June 14 was the anniversary of the day that Republican House Majority Whip, Steve Scalise, as well as Crystal Griner, Zack Barth, and Matt Mika, were shot while practicing for an annual Congressional Baseball Game in 2017. It’s also the U.S. Army’s 250th Anniversary and Donald Trump's birthday.

On the one hand, we could easily chalk these murders up as politically motivated assassinations. But is that true? Or is it partially true? And is it fair to the victims to use their agony for political talking points?

If we want to prevent future deaths, it’s important to completely and accurately understand what happened. It’s unhelpful to blame “the left” or “the right” for the evil of one man who apparently acted alone. Obviously, this is a fluid situation and tensions are high, but I think we’d do well to analyze what we currently know objectively.

When we dig into Boelter’s past, there are quite a few things that seem (on the surface) to be glaring contradictions.

Supposedly, he’s Pro-Life.
But it doesn’t make sense to be a Pro-Life serial killer.

Supposedly, he preached and helped poor people in Congo.
But it doesn’t make sense to be a humanitarian murderer.

Supposedly, he’s MAGA.
But a stack of anti-Trump No Kings fliers were found in his vehicle.

Supposedly, he’s a successful business owner who’s married with five kids.
But he lived with a pizza delivery guy.

So, who is Vance Boelter, and why is he so evil, confusing, and weird?

All of the above makes perfect sense when you understand that he’s almost certainly a psychopath.

He was probably living with a roommate instead of his family because he’s a violent domestic abuser. He would be emotionally detached, highly paranoid, and extremely manipulative. He likely pivots between seasons of dark brooding anger and high energy optimism.

He told recent acquaintances that he was MAGA, yet he was appointed by Democrat Governor Tim Walz to serve on a board. On that board, he served alongside John Hoffman, who he shot on June 14.

But Boelter was likely only on that board for career advancement and accolades. When things didn’t go the way he wanted, he likely invented a narrative inside his head where his colleagues were the bad guys. He decided that they were worse than murderers for being pro-abortion or [insert any reason here]. Therefore, killing them was justified, courageous, and self-sacrificing in his narcissistic mind.

Boelter also owned a company called Praetorian Guard Security Services. This is likely how he explained purchases of guns, body armor, and lots of ammo. Curiously, the security company is not listed on his LinkedIn profile. It’s probably a front he came up with to conceal the fact that he was planning a terroristic event. My guess would be that he launched it shortly after he began planning his murders.

Of course, the security firm also fits perfectly with the pattern of him being someone who craves power, authority, and official recognition. It also fits with someone who is capable of violence. His wife helps manage the company, but this is likely only for tax reasons or to make the firm seem family-owned and therefore less suspicious.

His other company, Red Lion Group, is based in the Democratic Republic of Congo. This may seem bizarre to some, but it also makes perfect sense, particularly if we’re dealing with a psychopath.

Abusers and sexual predators will sometimes become missionaries or aid workers in countries where the local police (if there are any) won’t hinder their criminal behavior. They can rape, abuse, and even kill without worrying about law enforcement stopping them. This is why you’ll sometimes hear horror stories of missionaries preying on women and kids. First and foremost, they’re predators. They just posed as humanitarians because of the opportunities it afforded them.

So, all of what we’re seeing in Boelter’s background makes perfect sense when you consider that he’s a predator.

My guess would be that Boelter is:

• Highly organized and driven.

• Pivots between seasons of dark angry depression and high-energy optimism and productivity.

• Has delusions of grandeur, imagining himself as the lead character in a theatrical adventure story where he’s a badass hero who nobody appreciates or loves.

• Extremely paranoid and distrustful, he like thinks the government is out to get him. To be fair, they should be, and they definitely are now.

• Frequently volatile. He likely has bouts of violent euphoric rage, but always seems weirdly in control of himself. Even when he’s escalating, or having a manic episode, he knows exactly what he’s doing.

• Highly controlling and craves power. He wants the credentials of law enforcement, but lacks the mental and emotional stability to be a cop.

• An underachiever. Has lots of big ideas, big plans, and big ambitions which politicians like Walz initially find exciting, but Boelter can’t seem to make any of them happen because he has no genuine moral convictions or ideological motives. He’s only there for the applause and the power trip.

None of this is new or novel.

Abusers like Harvey Weinstein may walk in the Women’s March, as if they care about women’s rights. Serial killers like Ted Bundy may get jobs with the Republican Party, feigning interest in conservative values. Murderers like Boelter may pretend to care about the No Kings protests, poor people in Congo, ending abortion, or whatever other cause seems advantageous to at the moment.

But predators wear morality like a costume. They put on ideology like a disguise. They use deception to garner trust and get close to their victims.

This is why so many abusers infiltrate churches.

This is why many become school teachers or daycare workers.

Nobody who commits crimes this cruel cares about right and wrong.

They may pretend to, but it’s all a lie to enable their inner darkness.

We must not allow the lies of evil people to divide us further.