Notebooks found in Vance Boelter’s car detail planning in Minnesota assassination

The discovery of notebooks in the car of Vance Boelter, the accused Minnesota assassin, has shed light on the extent of planning that went into the alleged attack on two Democratic lawmakers and their spouses. Photos released by the US Attorney General of Minnesota reveal a chilling hitlist of targets and meticulous details of the planned attack.

The notebooks contain lists of websites used to find the addresses of state and federal elected officials, with notes indicating whether the services were free or paid. According to the US Attorney’s Office for the District of Minnesota, the notes often included the home addresses of officials. More than 45 Minnesota officials were named in the notebooks, highlighting the scope of Boelter’s planning.

Additional notebooks were recovered from a residence where Boelter was renting a room in north Minneapolis. Inside Boelter’s car, authorities found a cache of assault-style rifles and ammunition, further underscoring the seriousness of his intentions.

A GPS found in Boelter’s SUV contained a “trip history” that included the addresses of Rep. Melissa Hortman’s house in Brooklyn Park, Sen. Hoffman’s house in Champlin, and the addresses of at least two other state officials. A search near Hortman’s home uncovered a disassembled semiautomatic handgun, magazines, tactical body armor vest, and a latex mask of a bald old man – consistent with what Boelter was seen wearing on security footage.

Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, Minnesota, is facing charges of stalking and murdering Rep. Hortman and her husband, as well as stalking and shooting State Senator John Hoffman and his wife. He was apprehended after the largest manhunt in Minnesota state history, with a witness recalling the tense moment she spotted Boelter near her friend’s home in Green Isle before his arrest.

The witness, Wendy Thomas, initially mistook Boelter for a law enforcement officer before realizing he was alone and alerting authorities. Boelter was captured just a mile from his home, surprising Thomas who believed he had fled the area. The extensive planning and calculated actions of Boelter have shocked the community and raised concerns about the safety of elected officials in Minnesota.