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The Hill
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
Minnesota state lawmaker resigns following burglary conviction
A Minnesota Democratic state lawmaker who was found guilty of burglarizing her stepmother's home resigned from office on Friday. 'I am stepping down from the MN Senate, but I can't do that without expressing my gratitude,' former state Sen. Nicole Mitchell posted on the social platform X. 'Thank you to my family, friends, & constituents who shared the issues they care about & trusted me to work on their behalf.' 'It's been a true honor to serve MN & the community I grew up in,' she added. The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Mitchell separately penned a note to constituents thanking them for support as she formally tendered her resignation to Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz (D). 'It has been a true honor to serve the state of Minnesota and the community I grew up in,' Mitchell, 51, wrote in the email message to supporters, per the Tribune. Mitchell, a former Weather Channel meteorologist and lieutenant colonel in the Air National Guard, was convicted on two felony counts last week after breaking into the home of her father's widow last year. She alternately claimed she was trying to check on her estranged stepmother and that she was attempting to recover personal items from her father, who died in 2023. 'I was just trying to get a couple of my dad's things because you wouldn't talk to me anymore,' police video of her arrest showed Mitchell telling her stepmother the night of the burglary. Mitchell, who was first elected to the state Senate in 2022, hasn't been sentenced in the case, but she could face 20 years behind bars. Walz, who was the Democratic vice presidential nominee last fall, will be responsible for calling a special election to pick Mitchell's successor in her deep Democratic seat, but the governor's office didn't immediately respond to The Hill's requests for details. Democrats held a one-seat majority in the Minnesota Senate, so Mitchell's vote was viewed as crucial to passing Democratic legislation while she was awaiting trial. She refused to resign before her conviction last week but was expected to ultimately step down by Aug. 4.
San Francisco Chronicle
24-07-2025
- San Francisco Chronicle
Minnesota man sentenced to 59 years for crash that killed 5 young women
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) — A Minnesota man was sentenced to nearly 59 years Thursday for causing a crash that killed five young women who were out making preparations for a friend's wedding. Derrick Thompson admitted his guilt for the first time and begged for forgiveness at an emotional sentencing hearing. He said he was sorry for what he did and 'there is not a day I don't ask God why he didn't take me instead and let your beautiful angels still be here,' the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. But relatives and friends of the victims offered no forgiveness at the hearing. Instead, they attacked Thompson for waiting until his sentencing to admit his crimes and putting their families through two criminal trials. A state court jury convicted the 29-year-old from the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park of third-degree murder and vehicular homicide for the June 2023 crash that killed Salma Abdikadir, Siham Adam, Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gesaade and Sagal Hersi. His defense claimed during the trial that Thompson was not the driver of an SUV that ran a red light and plowed into a Honda Civic. The victims, between 17 and 20 years old, were on their way home from preparations for a friend's wedding. Their deaths sparked sorrow and outrage in Minnesota's sizable Somali American community. 'I hope reality suffocates you for the rest of your life,' said Sundus Odhowa, Siham Adam's older sister. 'You should never know freedom again. You should never know peace.' Authorities say Thompson was driving a rented Cadillac Escalade SUV at more than 100 mph (160 kph) down a freeway in Minneapolis before exiting, blowing through the red light and smashing into the sedan in which the young women were riding. Minnesota inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison and one-third on supervised release. With credit for 767 days of time already served, Thompson could go free in about 37 years. Thompson, who already had a felony record, was convicted separately in November on federal drug and firearms charges. He's still awaiting sentencing on those counts. Thompson is the son of a former Democratic state representative from St. Paul who was sharply critical of police during his one term in office.
The Independent
24-07-2025
- The Independent
Minnesota man sentenced to 59 years for crash that killed 5 young women
A Minnesota man was sentenced to nearly 59 years Thursday for causing a crash that killed five young women who were out making preparations for a friend's wedding. Derrick Thompson admitted his guilt for the first time and begged for forgiveness at an emotional sentencing hearing. He said he was sorry for what he did and 'there is not a day I don't ask God why he didn't take me instead and let your beautiful angels still be here,' the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. But relatives and friends of the victims offered no forgiveness at the hearing. Instead, they attacked Thompson for waiting until his sentencing to admit his crimes and putting their families through two criminal trials. A state court jury convicted the 29-year-old from the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park of third-degree murder and vehicular homicide for the June 2023 crash that killed Salma Abdikadir, Siham Adam, Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gesaade and Sagal Hersi. His defense claimed during the trial that Thompson was not the driver of an SUV that ran a red light and plowed into a Honda Civic. The victims, between 17 and 20 years old, were on their way home from preparations for a friend's wedding. Their deaths sparked sorrow and outrage in Minnesota's sizable Somali American community. 'I hope reality suffocates you for the rest of your life,' said Sundus Odhowa, Siham Adam's older sister. 'You should never know freedom again. You should never know peace.' Authorities say Thompson was driving a rented Cadillac Escalade SUV at more than 100 mph (160 kph) down a freeway in Minneapolis before exiting, blowing through the red light and smashing into the sedan in which the young women were riding. Minnesota inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison and one-third on supervised release. With credit for 767 days of time already served, Thompson could go free in about 37 years. Thompson, who already had a felony record, was convicted separately in November on federal drug and firearms charges. He's still awaiting sentencing on those counts. Thompson is the son of a former Democratic state representative from St. Paul who was sharply critical of police during his one term in office.
Arab News
24-07-2025
- Arab News
Minnesota man sentenced to 59 years for crash that killed 5 young women
MINNEAPOLIS, USA: A Minnesota man was sentenced to nearly 59 years Thursday for causing a crash that killed five young women who were out making preparations for a friend's wedding. Derrick Thompson admitted his guilt for the first time and begged for forgiveness at an emotional sentencing hearing. He said he was sorry for what he did and 'there is not a day I don't ask God why he didn't take me instead and let your beautiful angels still be here,' the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. But relatives and friends of the victims offered no forgiveness at the hearing. Instead, they attacked Thompson for waiting until his sentencing to admit his crimes and putting their families through two criminal trials. A state court jury convicted the 29-year-old from the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park of third-degree murder and vehicular homicide for the June 2023 crash that killed Salma Abdikadir, Siham Adam, Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gesaade and Sagal Hersi. His defense claimed during the trial that Thompson was not the driver of an SUV that ran a red light and plowed into a Honda Civic. The victims, between 17 and 20 years old, were on their way home from preparations for a friend's wedding. Their deaths sparked sorrow and outrage in Minnesota's sizable Somali American community. 'I hope reality suffocates you for the rest of your life,' said Sundus Odhowa, Siham Adam's older sister. 'You should never know freedom again. You should never know peace.' Authorities say Thompson was driving a rented Cadillac Escalade SUV at more than 100 mph (160 kph) down a freeway in Minneapolis before exiting, blowing through the red light and smashing into the sedan in which the young women were riding. Minnesota inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison and one-third on supervised release. With credit for 767 days of time already served, Thompson could go free in about 37 years. Thompson, who already had a felony record, was convicted separately in November on federal drug and firearms charges. He's still awaiting sentencing on those counts. Thompson is the son of a former Democratic state representative from St. Paul who was sharply critical of police during his one term in office.
Al Arabiya
24-07-2025
- Al Arabiya
Minnesota man sentenced to 59 years for crash that killed 5 young women
A Minnesota man was sentenced to nearly 59 years Thursday for causing a crash that killed five young women who were out making preparations for a friend's wedding. Derrick Thompson admitted his guilt for the first time and begged for forgiveness at an emotional sentencing hearing. He said he was sorry for what he did and 'there is not a day I don't ask God why he didn't take me instead and let your beautiful angels still be here,' the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. But relatives and friends of the victims offered no forgiveness at the hearing. Instead, they attacked Thompson for waiting until his sentencing to admit his crimes and putting their families through two criminal trials. A state court jury convicted the 29-year-old from the Minneapolis suburb of Brooklyn Park of third-degree murder and vehicular homicide for the June 2023 crash that killed Salma Abdikadir, Siham Adam, Sabiriin Ali, Sahra Gesaade, and Sagal Hersi. His defense claimed during the trial that Thompson was not the driver of an SUV that ran a red light and plowed into a Honda Civic. The victims, between 17 and 20 years old, were on their way home from preparations for a friend's wedding. Their deaths sparked sorrow and outrage in Minnesota's sizable Somali American community. 'I hope reality suffocates you for the rest of your life,' said Sundus Odhowa, Siham Adam's older sister. 'You should never know freedom again. You should never know peace.' Authorities say Thompson was driving a rented Cadillac Escalade SUV at more than 100 mph (160 kph) down a freeway in Minneapolis before exiting, blowing through the red light, and smashing into the sedan in which the young women were riding. Minnesota inmates typically serve two-thirds of their sentences in prison and one-third on supervised release. With credit for 767 days of time already served, Thompson could go free in about 37 years. Thompson, who already had a felony record, was convicted separately in November on federal drug and firearms charges. He's still awaiting sentencing on those counts. Thompson is the son of a former Democratic state representative from St. Paul who was sharply critical of police during his one term in office.
