In a somber gathering of over 1,000 mourners, the Basilica of St. Mary in Minneapolis became the backdrop for a heartfelt farewell to former Minnesota House Speaker Melissa Hortman, who was tragically killed alongside her husband, Mark, in a shocking attack earlier this month.
According to Los Angeles Times, the funeral on June 28, 2025, honored Hortman’s legacy as a transformative legislator, while the violent events of June 14, 2025, which claimed her life and seriously injured a state senator and his wife, cast a shadow over the remembrance attended by former President Joe Biden and former Vice President Kamala Harris.
On June 14, 2025, tragedy struck in Brooklyn Park, a suburb of Minneapolis, when Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were fatally shot in their home. The incident, labeled an assassination by Minnesota’s chief federal prosecutor, sent shockwaves through the state. That same day, in nearby Champlin, Democratic state senator John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot and seriously wounded in a related attack by the same assailant.
Adding to the heartbreak, the Hortmans’ beloved golden retriever, Gilbert, was gravely injured during the attack and had to be euthanized. The suspect, identified as Vance Boelter, 57, of Green Isle, Minnesota, surrendered to authorities on the night of June 15, 2025, following what officials described as the largest manhunt in the state’s history. Boelter made a brief court appearance on June 27, 2025, with a subsequent hearing scheduled for July 3, 2025, though he has not yet entered a plea as prosecutors work to secure a grand jury indictment.
The charges against Boelter could potentially carry the federal death penalty, though his legal team has refrained from commenting on the case. Friends of Boelter have portrayed him as an evangelical Christian with conservative political leanings and a supporter of President Trump. Prosecutors, however, have declined to speculate on any motive behind the devastating attacks.
Hortman, first elected to the Minnesota House in 2004, served as Speaker and was instrumental in advancing progressive policies during the 2023 legislative session, including free lunches for public school students and enhanced protections for abortion and transgender rights. In 2025, with the Minnesota House evenly split at 67-67 between Democrats and Republicans, she stepped down from the Speaker role under a power-sharing agreement, taking the title of speaker emerita. In that capacity, she played a key role in resolving a budget deadlock that had threatened a state government shutdown.
As the state grappled with the aftermath of the tragedy, former President Biden visited the wounded senator, John Hoffman, in the hospital on an undisclosed date to offer support. On June 27, 2025, Biden also paid his respects as the Hortmans and their dog, Gilbert, lay in state at the Minnesota Capitol Rotunda in St. Paul. The following day, June 28, 2025, the funeral service at the Basilica of St. Mary drew a diverse crowd, including dozens of current and former state legislators from both parties and other elected officials who had worked alongside Hortman.
Among the attendees were Biden and Harris, who sat in the front row alongside Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz and his wife, Gwen, though neither Biden nor Harris spoke during the service. Gov. Walz, however, delivered a moving tribute, reflecting on Hortman’s profound impact on the state. “Melissa Hortman will be remembered as the most consequential speaker in Minnesota history,” Walz said. “I get to remember her as a close friend, a mentor and the most talented legislator I have ever known.”
“For seven years, I have had the privilege of signing her agenda into law,” Walz continued. “I know millions of Minnesotans get to live their lives better because she and Mark chose public service and politics.” Walz also described Hortman’s mission as striving “to get as much good done for as many people as possible.” He praised her ability to advocate fiercely without alienating others, noting, “She certainly knew how to get her way. No doubt about that.”
“But she never made anyone feel that they’d gotten rolled at a negotiating table,” Walz added. “That wasn’t part of it for her, or a part of who she was. She didn’t need somebody else to lose.”
Walz urged reflection on the current political climate, saying, “Maybe it is this moment where each of us can examine the way we work together, the way we talk about each other, the way we fight for things we care about.” He concluded with a call to emulate the Hortmans’ approach, stating, “A moment when each of us can recommit to engaging in politics and life the way Mark and Melissa did — fiercely, enthusiastically, heartily, but without ever losing sight of our common humanity.”
Rev. Daniel Griffith, speaking at the funeral, addressed broader societal issues, stating, “Here in Minnesota, we have been the ground-zero place, sadly, for racial injustice.”
“The killing of George Floyd just miles from our church today,” Griffith continued. “And now we are the ground-zero place for political violence and extremism. Both of these must be decried in the strongest possible terms, as they are, respectively, a threat to human dignity and indeed, our democracy.” He expressed hope for the future, describing Minnesota as potentially “a ground-zero place for restoration and justice and healing.”
Following the service, Gov. Walz presented the Hortmans’ adult children, Sophie and Colin, with U.S. and Minnesota flags that had flown over the Capitol on June 14, 2025, the day of their parents’ tragic deaths. The Hortmans were known to be deeply proud of Sophie and Colin, who now carry forward their family’s legacy. A private burial for Melissa and Mark Hortman is planned for a later, unspecified date, allowing the family time to grieve away from the public eye.