Sen. Nicole Mitchell’s trial postponed due to lawmaker shootings

BECKER COUNTY, Minn. (FOX 9) – The trial of Minnesota Sen. Nicole Mitchell has been postponed due to the shooting of two Minnesota lawmakers and their spouses.

Jury selection was scheduled to begin Monday in Sen. Mitchell’s trial, but it has been postponed due to the fatal shooting of Rep. Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, and injury to Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, Director of Public Affairs for the Minnesota Judicial Branch Kim Pleticha confirmed with FOX 9.

There will be a continuance hearing on Zoom on Monday, Pleticha said.

Mitchell was originally scheduled for trial in January, but it got pushed back so she could finish out the legislative session. That ended last week in a special session.

Mitchell, a DFL senator who represents Woodbury, pleaded not guilty to one count of burglary after she was arrested inside her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home back in April 2024. On Feb. 6. 2025, an additional charge for possession of burglary or theft tools was added.

A criminal complaint states that Detroit Lakes police responded to a reported burglary at a home around 4:45 a.m. on April 22, 2024.

At the scene, police found Mitchell in the home’s basement dressed in all black. Officers say they also found a flashlight covered with a black sock on Mitchell.  Officers searched for a black backpack that was stuck in a window at the scene and recovered two laptops, a cellphone, a driver’s license, Senate identification and miscellaneous Tupperware, according to the complaint.

Mitchell reportedly told investigators she was “just trying to get some of my dad’s things” and added “clearly, I’m not good at this.”

The complaint states that Mitchell explained to police that her father had just died, and she wanted sentimental items her stepmother refused to give to her.

Mitchell said those include her father’s ashes, pictures, clothes and other sentimental items.