The children of Melissa Hortman and her husband Mark Hortman are speaking out on their parents' murders. “They were the bright lights at the center of our lives, and we can’t believe they are gone," Sophie and Colin Hortman wrote in a statement obtained by PEOPLE Monday.

We sat down with Murphy on Tuesday to hear about the loss of her colleague and friend, and the emotion she felt finding out that Senator John Hoffman, a member of her own caucus, was shot.

Minnesota State Rep. Melissa Hortman was more than just the state House’s top Democrat, according to those who knew her. She “was a bright shining light of a human being,” Minnesota Secretary of State Steve Simon,

"The best way to honor our parents' memory is to do something, whether big or small, to make our community just a little better for someone else.”

Early Saturday morning, Minnesota House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were assassinated in their home.

Minneapolis mourns the assassination of Speaker Hortman and husband; city emphasizes democracy, safety, and community events.

Two days before her assassination, Hortman made a plea for more bipartisanship and face-to-face conversations, rather than social media echo chambers.

Gov. Tim Walz called the event a “politically motivated assassination," with the attack marking the latest such incident over the last several years.