The burglary trial of Sen. Nicole Mitchell, DFL-Woodbury, continued Tuesday with opening statements from both the prosecution and the defense. Additionally, jurors watched body-camera footage of Mitchell’s arrest.
In April 2024, Mitchell was arrested and charged with first-degree burglary after allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home. In the months since, the trial has been delayed multiple times and GOP legislators have attempted to expel Mitchell from the Minnesota Senate.
On Monday, jurors were selected to hear the evidence presented at trial and determine the state senator’s guilt or innocence. Formal arguments took place on Tuesday and began with the state’s case against Mitchell.
Quoting Mitchell’s own words as heard on police-worn body-camera footage, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald said, “I know I did something bad.”
WATCH: Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald delivers his opening statement in Sen. Nicole Mitchell's trial: "'I know I did something bad' … I ask that you specifically remember those words throughout this trial." pic.twitter.com/BijyQJlXY4
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) July 15, 2025
Those words formed the brunt of McDonald’s case against Mitchell. According to the county attorney, Mitchell went to the home of her stepmother, Carol, and broke into the house with the intent to take items. McDonald said statements Mitchell made after being arrested prove that she was there committing a burglary.
“This case won’t be about speculation,” McDonald told the jury. “It won’t be about trying to read between any lines. This case will be about what the defendant did, what she admitted to and what you will see and hear with your owns eyes and ears.”
During the trial, body-camera footage was shown of the night Mitchell was arrested at her stepmother’s home. In that footage, Mitchell is found by police in a basement bathroom at 4:51 a.m. after Carol called 911 and said there was someone in her home. The state senator was found dressed in all black and carrying a flashlight.
After being found, Mitchell cooperated with police and spoke to Carol, saying, “I was just trying to get a couple of my dad’s things because you wouldn’t talk to me anymore.”
Mitchell’s father, Roderick, passed away in 2023. Roderick and Carol married when Mitchell was four-years-old.
In the body-camera footage, police took Mitchell upstairs and outside to a squad car where they talked to her. After formally placing her under arrest, police took the state senator to a law enforcement facility for booking.
During the morning’s events, Mitchell made statements that included “I have never done anything like this,” “There were just a couple things of my dad’s I wanted to come get,” “obviously not good at this,” “I know I did something bad,” and “I just wanted to get a couple of my dad’s mementos.”
When asked by police what mementos she wanted, Mitchell said she wanted a couple pictures and one of her father’s flannel shirts.
Mitchell’s attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., told jurors that Mitchell was not there to take any items, but was instead in the home to check on her 75-year-old stepmother who had been diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease.
In his opening statement, Ringstrom told Mitchell’s life story and talked about the senator’s parents separating when she was young, her work as a meteorologist, her military career, and her relationships with family.
WATCH: Sen. Nicole Mitchell's attorney says in his opening statement: "Our defense is that there is no clear roadmap for helping an aging parent." pic.twitter.com/wdJai0tSjv
— Alpha News (@AlphaNewsMN) July 15, 2025
According to Ringstrom, Mitchell had a good relationship with Carol, was loyal to her, and wanted to take care of her. The defense attorney said Roderick’s death came when Carol was in decline and Mitchell was aware that Carol’s Alzheimer’s disease was “much worse” than Carol understood.
Mitchell’s attorney said the state senator learned via medical records that Carol’s diagnosis was worsening.
On top of this, the defense said Carol’s relationships with family were becoming strained, with Carol falsely accusing Michell and others of stealing documents and arranging for Roderick’s ashes to be interred at a time the state senator could not attend.
As such, Ringstrom said Mitchell was concerned for Carol’s well-being and traveled to the Detroit Lakes home to check on her and document how she was living. Mitchell, according to the defense, has relatives who died after family members failed to check on them.
Ringstrom told the jury that Mitchell had a key to Carol’s home but decided to enter via a basement window because Carol had begun to barricade doors. As for Mitchell’s statement about wanting to get some of her dad’s items, Ringstrom said Mitchell made this comment because she did not want to enrage Carol by admitting that she was gathering evidence of Carol’s decline.
The defense argued that Mitchell did not “have an ability to think about what’s happening or what she is saying” from the moment she was found until she was in jail because of the intensity of the scene that unfolded that night.
In short, Mitchell’s defense team argued that the evidence will show that the senator did not enter her stepmother’s home with the intent to commit a crime, which is a requirement for a burglary conviction.
Luke Sprinkel
Luke Sprinkel previously worked as a Legislative Assistant at the Minnesota House of Representatives. He grew up as a Missionary Kid (MK) living in England, Thailand, Tanzania, and the Middle East. Luke graduated from Regent University in 2018.
