Trial of Shiloh Hendrix, Minn. woman accused of hurling racial slur at 8-year-old boy, begins

Hendrix has pleaded not guilty to two misdemeanor charges of disorderly conduct more than a year after the incident

NEED TO KNOW

• The trial of a woman accused of hurling a racial slur at an 8-year-old boy last year got underway this week
• Shiloh Hendrix faces two misdemeanor charges more than a year after appearing to call the child the N-word in a video that went viral
• Hendrix has pleaded not guilty, but if found guilty she could face up to 90 days in jail and a $1,000 fine

The trial of Shiloh Hendrix, a Minnesota woman accused of hurling a racial slur at an 8-year-old Black boy last year, has begun

Hendrix has been charged with two counts of disorderly conduct more than a year after she appeared to call a child the N-word at the Soldiers Field Memorial Park in Rochester, Minn., ABC affiliate KAAL reported.

A video of the incident filmed in April 2025 went viral and Hendrix has since raised more than $800,000 in donations to support herself and her family on a fundraising page titled “Help Me Protect My Family.”

The man who recorded the video, later identified as Sharmake Omar, previously told NBC News that he knows the boy and his family and that the child is on the autism spectrum.

In the clip, Omar can be heard confronting Hendrix, who appears to be holding her own child, after she allegedly used the slur. 

Hendrix can be heard saying, “Mind your f---ing own business,” before claiming that the child “took my son’s stuff.” 

Omar then asks Hendrix if she thinks that warrants calling “a little child” the N-word, to which she replies, “If that’s what he’s going to act like.”

In the description of her fundraising page, Hendrix claims that she “had a kid steal from my 18-month-old son’s diaper bag at a park.”

“I called the kid out for what he was,” Hendrix continued, adding that members of her family were “being attacked” and her personal information, including her address and phone number, had been leaked.

Hendrix was originally charged with three counts of disorderly conduct in August last year, but one was dropped during her first in-person court appearance in March, per previous reporting by NBC affiliate KTTC.

She has pleaded not guilty to the two misdemeanor charges. If found guilty, she faces up to 90 days in jail and $1,000 in fines, according to the Brainerd Dispatch.

Jury selection for Hendrix’s trial began on Monday, July 20, at the Olmsted County Courthouse and continued through Tuesday, July 21, due to disagreements between the defense and prosecution over what may be discussed during the trial, per KAAL and KTTC.

Before it began, Hendrix’s lawyer Brian Karalus said he hadn’t yet received a list of the witnesses the state intended to call, with prosecutors explaining they delayed providing the list due to safety concerns.

However, they agreed that the defense would be given the names and contact information of intended witnesses, KTTC reported.

According to KAAL, the judge said jurors would be deciding whether the alleged use of the slur toward the child could be considered “fighting words.” Per the outlet, fighting words are defined as words directed at a person that are likely to provoke a violent reaction.

Karalus wanted to gauge whether potential jurors viewed racist speech as criminal, something prosecutors, including Rochester City Attorney Michael Spindler-Krage, opposed, per KAAL.

“I cannot think of a more direct question that goes to the heart of this case,” Karalus said, according to the Brainerd Dispatch.

Hendrix left the Olmsted County Courthouse shortly before 5 p.m. on Monday, alongside a number of masked men, according to KTTC.

Earlier that day, a handful of protesters congregated outside the courthouse and held up signs reading messages including, “Shiloh did nothing wrong,” and, “White unity,” according to the outlet.

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It is expected that opening statements will be made later on Tuesday after the jury is selected, KAAL reported. However, it’s not yet known whether Hendrix will take the stand herself as part of the trial.

PEOPLE reached out to Karalus and Spindler-Krage for comment but did not immediately hear back.

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