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Mitchell’s arrest in April 2024 came after she was caught breaking into a residence in Detroit Lakes—owned by her stepmother, Carol Mitchell. Her defense? That she was simply trying to collect sentimental items that belonged to her late father.
In a surprising twist during the trial, Mitchell confessed to trespassing and lying to law enforcement about the incident. “Clearly, I’m not good at this,” she told officers while handcuffed in the back of a squad car, admitting she was trying to retrieve her father’s belongings. She also said, “I was just trying to get some of my dad’s things because she wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”
The moment was caught on police video and played in court, a powerful piece of evidence that appeared to seal her fate with the jury.
Officers who responded found Mitchell hiding inside the home, lying face down on the floor. She was in possession of a black backpack containing two laptops, a Senate ID, a driver’s license, a cellphone, and several Tupperware containers. A flashlight covered in a black sock was also recovered—raising questions about whether the burglary was truly spontaneous or more calculated.
Prosecutors painted a picture of a premeditated crime, arguing that Mitchell parked her vehicle away from the home to avoid detection. The defense insisted she acted out of compassion for her stepmother, who Mitchell claimed suffers from Alzheimer’s disease.
Carol Mitchell told police at the scene, “She’s my stepdaughter. She’s also a Minnesota senator.” When an officer reacted with surprise, asking if she was still serving in office, Carol replied, “Well, she is. I meant after this…”
In a statement after the conviction, Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, also a Democrat, said, “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 continued, “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.”
If Mitchell follows through on her promise to step down, Gov. Tim Walz will be forced to call a special election to fill her seat, a move that could complicate the state’s political landscape depending on the outcome.
The Mitchell case comes at a particularly volatile time in Minnesota politics.
Just last month, two Democrat lawmakers and their spouses were targeted in shootings by a man reportedly impersonating law enforcement. State Sen. John Hoffman and his spouse survived their encounter in Champlin. But former state House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her spouse tragically died in a separate attack in Brooklyn Park.
“Our state lost a great leader,” Gov. Walz said after the incident. “Speaker Hortman was someone who served the people of Minnesota with grace, compassion, humor, and a sense of service.”
Walz went on to call the attacks “an act of targeted political violence,” intensifying an already tense atmosphere in state politics.
Between the shooting deaths of prominent Democrats and the felony conviction of a sitting senator, Minnesota’s political scene is undergoing a troubling shake-up that may reverberate far beyond the borders of the North Star State.
Now, all eyes are on Sen. Nicole Mitchell—and whether she’ll keep her word and resign from office.
