Prosecution rests and defense begins in Nicole Mitchell criminal trial
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Jurors are hearing from police investigators and witnesses about family dynamics in the trial of State Sen. Nicole Mitchell in Becker County.
Mitchell, a democrat from Woodbury, is facing charges of first degree attempted burglary and possession of burglary tools for allegedly breaking into her stepmother’s Detroit Lakes home in April 2024.
Jurors heard testimony Wednesday from Pam Muxfeldt, Carol Mitchell’s niece and goddaughter, who would have power of attorney for Carol if needed.
Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald asked Muxfeldt about the relationship between Carol and Nicole.
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“After either talking to her, or they had conversations through text messages, Carol would feel uncomfortable. She felt threatened, she was scared, and different things of that sort. So she would reach out,” Muxfeldt said.
Muxfeldt read aloud from a 2023 text message sent to her by Carol Mitchell expressing concern that Nicole was “greedy” and was going to try to take her “to the cleaners” after Rod Mitchell, Carol’s husband and Nicole’s father, died without a will.
Nicole Mitchell’s defense attorney, Bruce Ringstrom Jr., asked if Muxfeldt was aware of Carol’s Alzheimer’s diagnosis, which Nicole Mitchell has cited as playing a role in their deteriorating relationship.
“I mean, it's a disease that's not going to go away, and we know we're going to see progression as it comes. I think stress and different things like that can cause days more of it, then you see higher signs of it than the next day,” Muxfeldt said.
Muxfeldt noted that she and Mitchell had not had contact since 2023 and Mitchell did not reach out to her to inquire about her stepmother’s health.
One of the witnesses called by the defense, Nancy Lund, provided additional perspective on Carol Mitchell’s deteriorating mental acuity, which Nicole Mitchell’s attorneys say drove her to check in on stepmother.
Lund echoed some of Nicole Mitchell’s concerns, expressed in police body camera footage and on social media, about Carol’s alleged paranoia.
Lund recounted trying to help her sister-in-law get her financial documents in order following Rod Mitchell’s death. She read from text messages from Carol Mitchell showing confusion on several occasions, including where she had parked or where she had left notebooks.
And Lund read from a text exchange in which Carol Mitchell accused her of taking her documents, which hurt her feelings.
“I knew it was her disease that was talking there and not herself,” she said.
Like Nicole Mitchell, Lund ultimately found her relationship with Carol Mitchell souring, but she said “I believe Nicole loved Carol and still does.”
During cross-examination, Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald sought to reframe the stakes.
“Ms. Lund, there's no doubt you tried to help Carol Mitchell. Fair to say? And Alzheimer's is a very cruel disease,” he said, to which she responded affirmatively.
“But you also understand that Carol Mitchell is not on trial here?” he asked.
Jurors for the case were picked Monday. On Tuesday, they heard opening statements, saw body camera video from responding officers, heard the 911 call made by Carol Mitchell, Nicole’s stepmother and heard directly from Carol Mitchell.
The body camera footage showed the arrest of Nicole Mitchell in the basement of the Detroit Lakes home. She was dressed in all black, including a stocking cap. She was cooperative with police and told them she was there to get a few mementos of her late father, including a flannel shirt and some photos.
Carol Mitchell also testified, though she had a hard time remembering specific details.
Becker County Attorney Brian McDonald said this is a clear case of burglary.
He called a family friend to the stand Wednesday morning, Jim Hedlund, who said Carol Mitchell called him to the house shortly after the incident had happened.
“She was pretty shook up,” he said.
Hedlund filled in gaps that Carol Mitchell had a hard time remembering on the stand. He remembered finding a pry bar near the basement egress window where Nicole Mitchell allegedly tried to break in.
The prosecution is expected to rest its case Wednesday.
