Mitchell had encountered bipartisan pressure to resign following her arrest, although some advocated for her right to due process. She faces a sentence ranging from a minimum of six months to a maximum of 20 years in prison, as reported by Fox News.
Among her supporters was Erin Murphy, the Minnesota Senate Majority Leader and a fellow member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).
“Senator Mitchell has received due process, a trial by a jury of her peers, and that jury has reached a verdict. I am relieved to see the conclusion of Senator Mitchell’s trial. The resolution of this case provides clarity to the situation,” Murphy stated in a release from the DFL following the verdict.
“Senator Mitchell has informed her colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty of this offense, and I anticipate she will honor that commitment. Our caucus remains dedicated to the issues that are important to Minnesota families and communities,” Murphy further stated.
Mitchell was taken into custody in April 2024 after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s home. She asserted that she entered the property to collect items that belonged to her deceased father, and mentioned that her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, was suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.
As reported by Axios, Mitchell acknowledged during her testimony that she had trespassed and misled the police regarding her reasons for being there, but maintained that her actions were driven by concern for her stepmother’s welfare.
Video evidence of Mitchell inside a police vehicle, handcuffed while being interrogated, was presented during her trial. In the footage, she told an officer that she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things,” adding, “Clearly, I’m not good at this.”
She informed the police officers that her stepmother “wouldn’t communicate with me anymore,” which led her to break into the residence in Detroit Lakes.
“She’s my stepdaughter,” Carol Mitchell stated to a responding officer, as captured in police bodycam footage shown during the trial. “She’s also a senator from Minnesota.”
“She’s a senator?” an officer inquired.
“Yes, well, she was,” Carol replied to the officer before he questioned whether she is currently in office.
“Well, she is. I meant after this…” Carol clarified, alluding to the impending arrest.
Should she resign, it has been reported that Governor Tim Walz will need to call for a special election to fill her position.
Mitchell explained that she was attempting to collect her father’s ashes, photographs, clothing, and other cherished items. Upon her arrest, police discovered a flashlight concealed with a black sock in her possession.
Officers also examined a black backpack she was carrying and found two laptops, a cellphone, a driver’s license, Senate identification, and several Tupperware containers, as reported by Fox.
In the bodycam footage, Mitchell is depicted lying face-down on the floor while officers secure her with handcuffs.
“I was merely trying to retrieve some of my dad’s belongings because she wouldn’t speak to me anymore,” she stated.
Prosecutors contended that Nicole Mitchell had deliberately parked a short distance away as part of a premeditated scheme, while her defense argued that she was simply a concerned stepdaughter attempting to assist a family member.
During her testimony, Carol Mitchell expressed that she felt “extremely violated” by the alleged break-in.
Last month, two Minnesota Democrats and their spouses were shot by an individual reportedly posing as a police officer.
State Senator John Hoffman was shot in Champlin, and State House Speaker Melissa Hortman was shot in Brooklyn Park.
Both lawmakers were attacked in their residences, along with their spouses. Hoffman and his spouse survived, but Hortman, a former state House Speaker, and her spouse both succumbed to their injuries.
