Accused Minnesota assassin Vance Boelter’s recent occupation involved the extraction of eyeballs from corpses at a funeral home, as revealed by a close acquaintance. Boelter, a 57-year-old father and husband, allegedly committed the heinous crime of murdering Democratic state Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, while also injuring another Minnesota politician and his wife in the early hours of Saturday.
According to his friend and occasional roommate, David Carlson, Boelter’s job in extracting eyeballs was part of an organ donation program. Carlson recollected an interaction with Boelter around 7 p.m. on the Friday before the tragedy, where Boelter mentioned he needed rest for work. Carlson mentioned that Boelter would often emphasize the need for rest to ensure he was sharp for his job of extracting eyeballs from corpses.
On the same day, Boelter expressed gratitude towards Carlson and their other roommates for their friendship, as reported by the New York Times. It was not uncommon for Boelter, who had previous experience in the food industry and as a manager at a 7-Eleven, to retire early to be on call for work.
Boelter was on call for a 12-hour shift from 6 p.m. to 6 a.m. on the night of the alleged murders and attempted assassination. He worked at two funeral homes, assisting in the removal of bodies from crime scenes. Boelter had pursued mortuary science courses in 2023 and 2024 at an Iowa community college. The courses were confirmed by a representative from Des Moines Area Community College (DMACC), but it remains undisclosed whether the classes were conducted in person or online.
After voluntarily leaving his job at a funeral home in Savage, a suburb of Minneapolis, in February, Boelter had not been a student at DMACC since 2024. His former employer expressed condolences to the families affected by the tragedy and confirmed Boelter’s employment timeline with the company.
The devastating events surrounding Boelter’s alleged actions have left a community in shock and mourning. The narrative of his occupation and education sheds light on a dark chapter in the life of a man whose actions have sent ripples of grief and disbelief through the state of Minnesota.
