Nicole Mitchell burglary trial postponed due to shootings of Hortman, Hoffman, spouses

The jury trial in Senator Nicole Mitchell’s burglary case, which was scheduled to begin Monday morning, has been postponed due to the shootings of Rep. Melissa Hortman, Sen. John Hoffman, and their spouses early Saturday morning, according to a court spokesperson.

Instead of jury selection, a 9 a.m. hearing was held over Zoom on Monday, where Mitchell and her attorney requested that the trial be postponed, the spokesperson said.

Officials formally approved the motion during the hearing. Later that day, a court spokesperson announced the trial will now start on Monday, July 14.

Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman, 55, and her husband, Mark, 58, were shot and killed Saturday morning at their home in Brooklyn Park in what Gov. Tim Walz called a “politically motivated assassination.” DFL State Sen. John Hoffman and his wife, Yvette, were also shot multiple times at their home in Champlin.

Democratic House Speaker Emerita Melissa Hortman (left) and DFL State Sen. John Hoffman (right). Photos courtesy of the Minnesota Senate and Minnesota House of Representatives.

Mark and Melissa Hortman

Vance Boelter, the man suspected in both shootings, is now in custody and facing both state and capital charges. If found guilty of murder at the federal level, he could face the death penalty.

Mitchell is accused of using a crowbar to break into her stepmother’s home in Detroit Lakes in April of 2024.

You can find KSTP’s full coverage of the shootings and manhunt for Vance Boelter HERE.

You can find KSTP’s full coverage of the Nicole Mitchell burglary case HERE.
The post Nicole Mitchell burglary trial postponed due to shootings of Hortman, Hoffman, spouses first appeared on KSTP.com 5 Eyewitness News.