Minnesota Democrat Facing Decades Behind Bars After Burglary Conviction
Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell was convicted of felony burglary on Friday, more than a year after she was caught breaking into her stepmother’s home.
Mitchell had faced bipartisan calls to resign following her arrest, though some defended her right to due process. She faces anywhere from a minimum of six months to a maximum of 20 years behind bars, Fox News reported.
Among her supporters was Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a fellow member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).
“Senator Mitchell has been afforded due process, a trial by a jury of her peers, and that jury has delivered a verdict. I am relieved to see the end of Senator Mitchell’s trial. The case’s resolution brings clarity to the situation,” Murphy said in a statement issued by the DFL after the verdict.
“Senator Mitchell has told colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty of this crime, and I expect her to follow through on that pledge. Our caucus remains focused on the issues that matter to Minnesotan families and communities,” Murphy added.
Mitchell was arrested in April 2024 after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s home. Mitchell claimed she entered the residence to retrieve belongings that had belonged to her late father, and said her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
According to Axios, Mitchell admitted during testimony that she had trespassed and lied to police about her reasons for being there, but insisted her actions were motivated by concern for her stepmother’s well-being.
Video footage of Mitchell inside a police cruiser, handcuffed while being questioned, was shown at her trial. In the footage, she told an officer she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things,” adding, “Clearly, I’m not good at this.”
She also told police officers her stepmom “wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” which is why she resorted to breaking into the Detroit Lakes home.
“She’s my stepdaughter,” Carol Mitchell told a responding officer, according to police bodycam video presented at trial. “She’s also a Minnesota senator.”
“She’s a senator?” an officer asked.
“Yes, well was,” Carol tells the officer before he asks if she’s currently serving in office.
“Well, she is. I meant after this…” Carol responded, referring to the pending arrest.
If she resigns, Gov. Tim Walz will have to call for a special election to fill her seat, reports said.
Mitchell said she was trying to retrieve her father’s ashes, photographs, clothing, and other sentimental belongings. When police arrested her, they found a flashlight covered with a black sock in her possession.
Officers also searched a black backpack she was carrying and discovered two laptops, a cellphone, a driver’s license, Senate ID, and several Tupperware containers, Fox reported.
In the body-cam footage, Mitchell is seen lying face-down on the floor as officers place her in handcuffs.
“I was just trying to get some of my dad’s things because she wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” she said.
Prosecutors argued that Nicole Mitchell strategically parked a short distance away as part of a calculated plan, while her defense maintained she was simply a concerned stepdaughter trying to help a family member.
In her testimony, Carol Mitchell said she felt “extremely violated” by the alleged break-in.
Last month, two Minnesota Democrats and their spouses were shot by a man reportedly impersonating a police officer.
State Sen. John Hoffman was shot in Champlin, and State House Speaker Melissa Hortman was shot in Brooklyn Park.
Both lawmakers were shot in their homes, along with their spouses. Hoffman and his spouse survived, but Hortman, a former state House Speaker, and her spouse, however, both died from their wounds.
“Our state lost a great leader,” Walz said at a press briefing following the shootings. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service.”
“This was an act of targeted political violence,” Walz added.
