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Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s felony burglary trial delayed because of Hortman assassination

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Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s felony burglary trial delayed because of Hortman assassination

Jun 16, 2025 | 10:53 am ET
By Michelle Griffith
Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s felony burglary trial delayed because of Hortman assassination
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Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, did not answer questions from members of a Senate ethics committee on May 7, 2024. Her attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., said Mitchell was pleading the Fifth Amendment. Photo by Michelle Griffith/Minnesota Reformer.

The felony burglary trial of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, has been delayed after the assassination of Minnesota Rep. Melissa Hortman and the attempted assassination of Mitchell’s colleague, Sen. John Hoffman.

The long-awaited trial was scheduled to begin Monday in Detroit Lakes with jury selection, but Mitchell’s defense asked the court for a delay because of Saturday’s shootings. Hortman and her husband were shot and killed; Hoffman and his wife were shot and are recovering from multiple gunshot wounds.

In a court filing, Mitchell’s defense asked for the trial to be delayed “out of reverence for Saturday’s unspeakable tragedy” and “to allow the partisan political temperature in Minnesota time to cool down.” The prosecution did not object to the delay “given the unprecedented circumstances,” according to the filing.

Judge Michael Fritz in a virtual hearing Monday said Saturday’s shooting could affect Mitchell’s right to a fair trial, and the court has security concerns given the shooting.

The judge did not set a new trial date Monday.

Mitchell was arrested on April 22, 2024, in Detroit Lakes after police allegedly found her in her stepmother’s basement around 4:45 a.m. She told police that she was attempting to retrieve some of her late father’s possessions, including his ashes, according to the amended criminal complaint.

Mitchell’s arrest set off a firestorm in the Minnesota Capitol, particularly in the Senate where Democrats hold a one-seat majority in the 34-33 chamber. Mitchell’s own vote has been the tie-breaker for multiple Democratic-Farmer-Labor-backed bills, especially last year. Senate Republicans multiple times since her arrest have tried to oust her and prevent her from casting her crucial vote.

The first-term senator has resisted calls to resign from her own party, including then-DFL Party Chair Ken Martin and Gov. Tim Walz. Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy expelled Mitchell from caucus meetings and stripped her of her committee assignments.

Last year, Mitchell didn’t speak on the Senate floor after her arrest and has largely kept a low profile until this year. The Woodbury senator has been speaking up on the floor about various bills, and lately she’s been posting her way through the charges, sharing photos of herself with constituents and students on her government social media accounts.

In a Facebook statement shortly after her arrest, Mitchell denied stealing anything and said she drove to her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home because she was concerned about the cognitive state of her stepmother, who was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s.

“Unfortunately, I startled this close relative, exacerbating paranoia, and I was accused of stealing, which I absolutely deny,” Mitchell said in a Facebook statement.

Bruce Ringstrom Jr, Mitchell’s defense attorney, in a statement to the Reformer last week said the senator is confident that jurors will find reasonable doubt in the case against Mitchell. 

“Senator Mitchell is confident that taking this case to trial is the correct decision. She understands that juries sometimes make decisions inconsistent with the evidence but is prepared to take that risk. Senator Mitchell believes that if the jury holds the state to its burden of proof that she will be found not guilty,” Ringstrom said.