Following the split verdict in the Shiloh Hendrix case that was handed down on Thursday night, her attorney, Brian Karalus, criticized the decision to find her guilty of disorderly conduct as it relates to the cameraman who filmed the viral 2025 Minnesota playground incident. Karalus said they intend to appeal the verdict.
The case centered around Hendrix, a mother who had gone to a playground in Rochester, Minnesota in April of 2025. The incident began with a young autistic boy being accused of stealing something from Hendrix’s diaper bag, with Hendrix calling the boy the n-word. A third party filmed the incident, taunting her and capturing Hendrix saying the n-word on camera.
Speaking on the verdict, Karalaus said, “I think it’s pathetic. I think it’s sad. I think it’s sick. I think, shocked. I’ve never had a trial where they keep people—this is a misdemeanor, by the way—till 10:30 at night. Never even heard of that one before.” He said that keeping the jurors so late was “bizarre.”
“Let’s make something very clear. She’s acquitted, not guilty, right? Not guilty with the child. The state reads a what, a five-minute victim impact statement about the child. She was acquitted about the child. She’s convicted on the count involving the cameraman. Well, they never called to testify. Keep this in mind: they never called the cameraman to testify.”
He said the defense was blocked from telling the jury that the father of the autistic boy, Shire Jimale, had a GoFundMe page up still related to the incident, despite testifying that it had been over for more than a year. He said one of his investigators was able to donate to it the night prior, “It’s open.” Karalaus added, “He testified under oath and perjured himself… over and over and over again.”
He said it felt like he was taking on “two parties at the same time: the judge and the prosecutor” during the trial. He said the judge and prosecutor “should be ashamed” of themselves.
“We’re going to appeal it. We will appeal it,” he said. “We have so many appellate issues, I don’t even know where to begin. Judge’s screaming at me during the trial, judge’s interrupting me every time I want to make a record.”
Karalaus continued, “Here’s the deal. I thought I was coming down here to try a free speech case. Y’all saw the video. I thought I was coming to Rochester to try a free speech case based on the video. Then it took on an entirely different—It just turned, right?” He said that during questioning on his end, Jimale repeatedly said he didn’t understand the questions, however, Jimale could answer the prosecution’s questions. Jimale, who is Somali, spoke through an interpreter during the trial.
Karalaus also said that the cameraman also has a GoFundMe running, on which the cameraman is claimed to be dead. “From what I understand, he is well alive.” The cameraman who filmed the incident is Sharmake Omar. He is reportedly the same person who, in 2022, was charged with sexually assaulting a female minor. In 2025, the charges against Omar and other man were dropped.
Karalaus called the trial “monkey court.” He said, “This isn’t law. This is a circus. This is monkey court. This is nuts,” later adding, “This whole thing is f*cking bullsh*t. This is a fraud.”
For the guilty count, Judge Christa M. Daily sentenced Hendrix to a stayed 90-day jail sentence, placed her on supervised probation, ordered her to complete 200 hours of community service and fined her $1,000.
