Particle.news
Download on the App Store
8 ARTICLES
·
15h ago

Conflicting Narratives Emerge in Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s Burglary Trial Opening Statements

The trial’s opening statements drew a sharp divide between prosecutors’ portrayal of a calculated pre-dawn break-in, supported by body-camera footage and tool evidence, versus a defense narrative of a grief-fueled welfare check for a stepmother

Image
FILE - Democratic State Sen. Nicole Mitchell, right, of Woodbury, speaks with Sen. Robert D. Farnsworth, a Republican from Hibbing, on the floor of the Minnesota Senate on April 2, 2024, at the State Capitol in St. Paul, Minn. (AP Photo/Steve Karnowski, File)
Image
Image

Overview

  • A jury was seated on July 14 after delays caused by the 2025 legislative session and security concerns following the assassination of Rep. Melissa Hortman
  • Prosecutors played body-worn camera footage showing Mitchell dressed in black at 4:45 a.m. inside her stepmother’s basement with a flashlight sheathed in a sock
  • Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald detailed evidence of entry through a basement egress window and the discovery of a crowbar
  • Defense attorney Bruce Ringstrom argued Mitchell entered to retrieve her late father’s ashes and perform a welfare check on her stepmother diagnosed with Alzheimer’s
  • If convicted of burglary or possession of burglary tools, Mitchell’s seat would be vacated and the DFL’s one-vote Senate majority would be tied pending a special election