A Minnesota Senator was convicted of robbery on Friday after breaking into her estranged stepmother’s home, leading to immediate calls for her resignation from a closely divided Senate.
After approximately three hours of deliberation, Democratic state Senator Nicole Mitchell, 51, was found guilty of first-degree robbery and possession of burglary tools.
Upon her arrest, she claimed she was looking for her father’s ashes and other personal items. However, her testimony on the stand seemed to veer away from that narrative.
Mitchell appeared calm when the verdict was announced.
Erin Murphy, the Senate Majority Leader, quickly stated that Mitchell had expressed her intention to resign if convicted.
Mark Johnson, the Republican Senate minority leader, had been advocating for her immediate resignation for quite some time.
Governor Tim Walz’s office indicated it expects her to step down.
On the other hand, one of Mitchell’s lawyers, Dane Deckley, mentioned that they were contemplating their options for an appeal, leaving some uncertainty about her next steps.
Throughout this ordeal, Mitchell has consistently maintained her innocence and refused to resign since her arrest at her stepmother’s home in Lake Detroit, northwest Minnesota, on April 22, 2024.
Her father passed away in 2023 at 72, having been married to her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, for nearly 40 years.
Evidence presented during the trial included Mitchell telling police that she broke into the house because her stepmother wouldn’t give her sentimental belongings, like photographs and shirts, tied to her father.
When arrested, she was dressed in black and had a flashlight wrapped in black socks.
In footage from the arrest, she was heard saying, “Obviously, I’m not good at this,” and “I know I’ve done something bad.”
However, during her testimony, Mitchell insisted that she wasn’t planning to take anything. She expressed concern about her stepmother’s mental state, believing her stepmother would be more upset over her fears than the absence of her father’s belongings.
Mitchell’s conviction included one count of first-degree robbery in an occupied residence and possession of a burglary tool.
Sentencing has yet to be scheduled.
Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald challenged the jury to scrutinize Mitchell’s credibility, noting her previous statements to police as contradicting her claims in court.
Mitchell’s defense attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., argued that she did not intend to steal and acknowledged that her actions demonstrated poor judgment.
He claimed that everyone tells “white lies” at times and framed Mitchell’s intentions within a complicated emotional context.
Following her arrest, Mitchell chose not to resign, which set off a series of debates given the Senate’s slim Democratic majority.
Republicans have regularly attempted to remove her, but they have lacked the necessary votes. The Senate won’t reconvene until February, when they could revisit the possibility of her expulsion.
If she decides to resign, a special election will be arranged for her district, which leans Democratic, having supported the Harris-Walz ticket with 61% of the vote last year.
