Trial of state Sen. Nicole Mitchell postponed until July after lawmakers shootings

The judge presiding over the burglary case of state Sen. Nicole Mitchell is postponing the trial given the slaying of Rep. Melissa Hortman, who was fatally shot along with her husband in their home Saturday morning.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the victims of this senseless and violent act,” Chief Judge Michael Fritz said in a remote hearing Monday morning, when jury selection was set to begin in his Becker County courtroom in Detroit Lakes.

Fritz said the tragic events that have “profoundly impacted the entire state of Minnesota and this nation” are not only causing concerns about affecting the possibility of a fair trial, but he said “the court has some real concerns about safety and security.”

Mitchell’s attorneys confirmed with the Minnesota Star Tribune that the state senator was on the “hit list” of the Hortmans’ alleged killer, Vance Boelter.

“Senator Mitchell was, in fact, or is, on the list. We became aware of that on Saturday,” Bruce Ringstrom Jr., one of Mitchell’s attorneys, said in a phone interview Monday.

Boelter is accused of killing the Hortmans and wounding state Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, also shot in their home Saturday morning. The alleged shooter targeted Democratic lawmakers and abortion providers in lists of about 50 to 70 names, including U.S. Sen. Amy Klobuchar and Mitchell.

She appeared on screen with Ringstrom at Monday morning’s hearing, but didn’t speak.

It was a brief and somber court appearance, ending without selecting a new trial date.

 Attorneys later agreed on a new trial date of July 14.

Jury selection was supposed to begin Monday morning. But court administration said in an email Sunday afternoon that it would be delayed and instead there would be a remote hearing.

The notice didn’t say what or why there was a change in schedule, but court staff confirmed with the Star Tribune that the delay was a direct result of the tragedy.

Hours after the delay notice was sent on Sunday, Boelter was arrested in a field in Sibley County following a two-day manhunt.

“Even with the alleged perpetrator in custody … that does not mitigate all risk,” Ringstrom said.

He said he spoke with the Becker County sheriff on Saturday about the safety and security of Mitchell, attorneys, court staff and jurors.

“There’s also, in my judgment, a due process concern,” he said. A jury being seated “in the midst of a massive tragedy like this, where the citizen accused was someone who was also targeted … would be an extremely uncomfortable experience for a juror to know that they may be rendering a verdict that could be seen as a political act.”

He added that “There are innumerable overlapping reasons why continuing this trial was the right thing to do.”

“This is a state and national tragedy,” he said. “There are people that are connected to this trial, including Senator Mitchell, who knew the deceased, and so to move forward in the midst of all that would be quite a burden.”

Fritz said the defense motioned for a continuance, and the motion was unopposed by the state.

Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald said in the virtual hearing that he does not oppose a trial continuance given the “unprecedented circumstances.”

“I have briefed the victim’s family on this,” McDonald added.

Mitchell is accused of breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home in April 2024. Mitchell said she was trying to get some of her late father’s possessions and his ashes.

Stepmother Carol Mitchell called 911 at 4:45 a.m. to report a burglary. Officers found the state senator dressed in black in the basement of the home.

She has pleaded not guilty to first-degree burglary and felony possession of burglary tools.

Mitchell’s original trial date set for January was postponed until June because of the 2025 legislative session.