‘We have waited long enough’: Hoffman family blasts trial delay request

(FOX 9) - After previously calling the court proceedings "retraumatizing," the family of Sen. John Hoffman – whose family were the targets of an assassination attempt – are criticizing efforts by attorneys defending Vance Boelter for attempting to delay his upcoming state trial.

Vance Boelter state trial

What we know:

John, Yvette and Hope Hoffman released a collective statement on Wednesday, reportedly after being notified that the attorneys representing Boelter have filed a motion asking the court to delay his Nov. 2 state trial start.

The statement reads, in part: "The defendant demanded a speedy trial. The court granted that request and scheduled his trial for Nov. 2. Now his own publicly-funded defense attorneys are telling the court they need more time because of the volume of discovery and the time required to prepare. You cannot demand that the justice system move faster and then complain when it moves too fast."

The statement also takes aim at the effect the process has had on the Hoffman family following the attacks that also killed former House speaker Melissa and husband Mark Hortman.

"Our family did not choose any of this, yet somehow, more than fifteen months later, it feels as though the system continues to revolve around the rights, requests and timetable of the defendant while victims are told to be patient, and now potentially to be quiet," the statement says. "We understand that every defendant has constitutional rights. Those rights matter. Due process matters. But victims have rights too, and those rights cannot become an afterthought. We want the truth heard in a courtroom. We want accountability. And after everything our family and the Hortman family have endured, we believe Minnesota’s victims deserve a justice system that remembers they are part of this process too. We have waited long enough."

Boelter’s team has previously asked the court to move his trial to St. Louis County or Olmsted County, arguing the seven-county Twin Cities metro area would produce a prejudiced jury pool following media coverage of the attacks and federal trial.

Court documents show Boelter's attorneys are also pursuing arguments for double jeopardy and "justificable taking of life," saying the state trial amounts to being tried twice for the same offense, and that the actions Boelter took were "justified," with attorneys claiming it was "necessary by defendant to resist and prevent offenses while defendant was effecting a lawful arrest."

The backstory:

In July 2026, Boelter was sentenced in federal court to back-to-back life sentences plus 40 years for the June 2025 murders of House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and the attempted murders of Sen. John Hoffman, his wife, Yvette, and his daughter, Hope.

Following the sentencing, the Boelter family released a statement, saying in part:

"No sentence can do justice for the horrific and unconscionable acts this monster perpetrated on June 14, 2025. We will be reminded of the harm he caused every day of the rest of our lives. As we have said consistently, it is time to stop dehumanizing people, and start leading with kindness in grace in our public dialogue.

The Hoffman’s previously spoke ahead of state court proceedings, calling the process "re-traumatizing."