Minnesota state Sen. Nicole Mitchell was convicted of felony burglary on Friday, more than a year after she was caught breaking into her stepmother\u2019s home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mitchell had faced bipartisan calls to resign following her arrest, though some defended her right to due process. She faces anywhere from a minimum of six months to a maximum of 20 years behind bars, Fox News reported.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Among her supporters was Minnesota Senate Majority Leader Erin Murphy, a fellow member of the Democratic-Farmer-Labor Party (DFL).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSenator Mitchell has been afforded due process, a trial by a jury of her peers, and that jury has delivered a verdict. I am relieved to see the end of Senator Mitchell\u2019s trial. The case\u2019s resolution brings clarity to the situation,\u201d Murphy said in a statement issued by the DFL after the verdict.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cSenator Mitchell has told colleagues that she intended to resign if found guilty of this crime, and I expect her to follow through on that pledge. Our caucus remains focused on the issues that matter to Minnesotan families and communities,\u201d Murphy added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Mitchell was arrested in April 2024 after allegedly breaking into her stepmother\u2019s home. Mitchell claimed she entered the residence to retrieve belongings that had belonged to her late father, and said her stepmother, Carol Mitchell, was suffering from Alzheimer\u2019s disease.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
According to Axios, Mitchell admitted during testimony that she had trespassed and lied to police about her reasons for being there, but insisted her actions were motivated by concern for her stepmother\u2019s well-being.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Video footage of Mitchell inside a police cruiser, handcuffed while being questioned, was shown at her trial. In the footage, she told an officer she was \u201cjust trying to get some of my dad\u2019s things,\u201d adding, \u201cClearly, I\u2019m not good at this.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Also Read : \u2018Good Riddance\u2019: Sen. Kennedy Lambasts Justice Jackson Over Universal Injunction Dissent<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n She also told police officers her stepmom \u201cwouldn\u2019t talk to me anymore,\u201d which is why she resorted to breaking into the Detroit Lakes home.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe\u2019s my stepdaughter,\u201d Carol Mitchell told a responding officer, according to police bodycam video presented at trial. \u201cShe\u2019s also a Minnesota senator.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cShe\u2019s a senator?\u201d an officer asked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cYes, well was<\/em>,\u201d Carol tells the officer before he asks if she\u2019s currently serving in office.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWell, she is. I meant after this\u2026\u201d Carol responded, referring to the pending arrest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n If she resigns, Gov. Tim Walz will have to call for a special election to fill her seat, reports said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Mitchell said she was trying to retrieve her father\u2019s ashes, photographs, clothing, and other sentimental belongings. When police arrested her, they found a flashlight covered with a black sock in her possession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Officers also searched a black backpack she was carrying and discovered two laptops, a cellphone, a driver\u2019s license, Senate ID, and several Tupperware containers, Fox reported<\/a>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n In the body-cam footage, Mitchell is seen lying face-down on the floor as officers place her in handcuffs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI was just trying to get some of my dad\u2019s things because she wouldn\u2019t talk to me anymore,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Prosecutors argued that Nicole Mitchell strategically parked a short distance away as part of a calculated plan, while her defense maintained she was simply a concerned stepdaughter trying to help a family member.<\/p>\n\n\n\n