The Justice Department said Monday it would not seek the death penalty for the man accused of murdering Minnesota Legislator Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark, the New York Times said.

Officials at the Justice Department said the underlying stalking charges against Vance Boelter, who has been charged with their murder, likely did not make him eligible for capital punishment, according to the Times.

"Prosecutors worked hard on this case to make sure he was held accountable to the fullest extent possible," Emily Covington, a Justice Department spokeswoman, said in a statement to the Times.

Boelter faces both state and federal charges for the murder after he allegedly went to the homes of four Minnesota legislators, all Democrats, last June and carried out the attacks while disguised as a police officer.

Aside from the Hortmans, Boelter is accused of shooting State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife Yvette.

The Hoffmans managed to push Boelter out of their house, shutting the door before the gunman fired nine times through the door, striking the senator nine times and his wife eight times.

Their adult daughter nearby was not hurt.

A third legislator was out of town while he left another legislator’s home after being approached by a police officer, prosecutors said.

The names of more than a dozen political figures were found in documents inside his vehicle, which was disguised as a police car.

Investigators found a handwritten letter by Boelter addressed to FBI Director Kash Patel in which he confessed to the shootings and made bizarre claims.

The Green Isle, Minnesota, resident was arrested a day later after a massive search involving local, state, and federal authorities.

He has pleaded not guilty.

Hortman led the House from 2019 until January 2025 and was a driving force as Democrats passed an ambitious list of liberal priorities in 2023.

 She yielded the speakership to a Republican in a power-sharing deal after the November elections left the House tied, and she took the title speaker emerita.

Associated Press contributed to this report.