Nicole Mitchell, a Minnesota state senator, was convicted of felony burglary Friday, more than a year after being arrested while breaking into her stepmother’s home.
Mitchell has faced pressure to resign from both sides of the aisle since her arrest, but she has some supporters who believe she deserves a day in court. One of them was Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, who, like Mitchell, belongs to the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).
“Senator Mitchell received due process, including a trial by a jury of her peers, and the jury returned a verdict. I’m relieved that Senator Mitchell’s trial has ended. “The case’s resolution clarifies the situation,” Murphy said in a DFL statement following the verdict.
“Senator Mitchell has told colleagues that if found guilty of this crime, she intends to resign, and I expect her to keep that promise. Our caucus remains focused on issues important to Minnesotan families and communities.”
The state legislator was arrested in April 2024 on suspicion of breaking into her stepmother’s home. Mitchell stated that she went to her stepmother, Carol Mitchell’s, home to retrieve her late father’s belongings. The state senator claimed her stepmother suffered from Alzheimer’s disease.
Mitchell testified that she trespassed on her stepmother’s property and admitted lying to police about why she was there, but that she did so out of concern for her stepmother, according to Axios.
Mitchell’s trial featured footage of her being handcuffed and questioned inside a police cruiser. In the video, she tells an officer she is “just trying to get some of my dad’s things,” adding, “Clearly, I’m not good at this.” Mitchell told police that her stepmother “wouldn’t talk to me anymore,” which is why she broke into their Detroit Lakes home.
Mitchell stated that she wanted to retrieve her father’s ashes, pictures, clothing, and other sentimental items.
When she was arrested, officers discovered a flashlight wrapped in a black sock on her. Officers also reported discovering two laptop computers, a cellphone, a driver’s license, Senate identification, and Tupperware products in a black backpack.
While no sentencing date has been set, Mitchell’s attorney told Axios that she faces a minimum of six months in jail and a maximum of twenty years.
