A judge delayed the trial of a Minnesota lawmaker accused of burglary in the wake of the assassination of a state representative and attempted assassination of a state senator.
Jury selection in the trial for Sen. Nicole Mitchell, accused of burglarizing her stepmother’s house in Detroit Lakes in 2024, was set to begin at 8:30 a.m. Monday. Instead, parties in the case had a virtual hearing Monday morning after Mitchell’s attorneys filed a motion to continue the trial at a later date.
In a motion filed Monday, the Woodbury Democrat’s attorneys, Dane DeKrey and Bruce Ringstrom Jr., 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.”
Early Saturday morning, former House Speaker Melissa Hortman and her husband, Mark, were shot and killed in their Brooklyn Park home. Shortly before, state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were shot and injured at their home in Champlin.
The shootings kicked off a two-day manhunt for the suspect, 57-year-old Vance Boelter, which came to an end Sunday night. Boelter was found alive and taken into custody in rural Sibley County, southwest of the Twin Cities.
Nicole Mitchell (Courtesy of the Becker County Sheriff’s Office)
During Monday’s hearing, DeKrey said he did not think he had to get into the reasons for asking for a delay in the trial.
“We just believe it’s not a good week to try this case,” he said.
Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald, representing the state of Minnesota, said he briefed the family of the victim of the alleged burglary on the request to delay the trial. He also said the state does not oppose the delay.
Judge Michael Fritz granted the request, saying he thought the recency of the violence over the weekend would affect a fair trial. With the ongoing investigation, the court has concerns about security, he added.
The parties did not set a new date for the trial during the hearing.
Mitchell has been charged with two felony burglary counts: first-degree burglary and possession of burglary or theft tools. She pleaded not guilty to the burglary charge.
Mitchell told police officers she was retrieving items of a sentimental nature that belonged to her late father, included his cremated remains, court documents say.
Charges were brought against Mitchell during the 2024 legislative session. Mitchell was arrested in her stepmother’s house on April 22, 2024.
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