White woman is CLEARED after calling black autistic boy, 8, the n-word but convicted of disorderly conduct against man who filmed racist interaction

A jury delivered a split verdict in the high-profile case of a white woman's racist behavior toward a black autistic boy and a videographer, where she callously called both of them the 'n-word.' 

Shiloh Hendrix, 36, was filmed last April at a park in Minnesota launching a racist tirade at an eight-year-old boy she accused of stealing applesauce from her diaper bag. 

She was arrested and criminally charged with disorderly conduct last August and appeared before District Judge Christa Daily in the Olmsted County Court earlier this week for a four-day trial. Hendrix initially faced three counts, but one was dropped earlier this year. 

Hendrix was convicted by a jury last night after her conduct against the videographer, but was acquitted of her actions toward the child. She has been placed on supervised probation with 200 hours of community service and will have to pay a $1,000 fine. 

The jury was tasked with deciding whether Hendrix was exhibiting 'fighting words' during the racist tirade, according to jury directions seen by the Daily Mail. 

'Fighting words' are not protected by the First Amendment as they are likely to produce violence. The jury's verdict shows that they believed Hendrix was likely to be violent with the videographer, but not the child involved. Jury directions noted that racism alone cannot justify 'fighting words.' 

The verdict was read around 11pm after the jury deliberated for more than nine hours, the Minnesota Star Tribune reported. 

The boy's father, Shire Jimali, testified through an interpreter that he took his three sons to Soldiers Field on April 28 and spotted one of them reach into Hendrix's bag to grab food. 

He then described a chaotic scene where Hendrix hurled racist slurs at the child, causing him to freeze up. 

Jimali said that Hendrix then climbed the playground equipment and snatched the applesauce from his son before he could get there. 

The father testified that two families then intervened, which was when the bystander pulled out his video to record. 

The man recording Hendrix asked her why she called the child the slur, and as he pressed further, she became more enraged and 'raised her middle finger at him, cursing at him, and using the same epithet against him,' a criminal complaint said. 

'When asked if she was about to hit the child, she said "Yeah! He took my son's stuff!" and said "That little f****** kid did...",' the complaint continued.

Hendrix then said, 'I don't give a s***' before telling the man recording to 'f*** off.'

The Minnesota Star Tribune reported that Jimali broke down on the stand at one point while recounting the sequence of events. 

A Rochester Police Department detective was also called to the stand to testify. The officer confirmed that Jimali initially did not express fear Hendrix would physically harm his child, but said the opposite in a later interview with police, local CBS affiliate KIMT reported. 

The defense's case rested on claims that Hendrix's language was a result of anger over the stolen applesauce and was not 'fighting words.'

Defense attorneys also argued that the child's autism was not a factor and filed a motion to prohibit the state from mentioning it at trial. 

Hendrix's attorney, Brian Karalus, acknowledged that his client's language was hurtful but did not qualify as disorderly conduct. 

Prosecutors painted a different picture of the interaction, arguing that the case was a straightforward example of 'fighting words.' 

The City Attorney's Office released a statement on Friday morning acknowledging the verdict and recognizing the impact the case had on communities of color. 

'Hendrix fully admitted to her hateful and racist conduct, toward a child with a disability and others, and she has profited immensely while showing no remorse,' the statement said. 

The office said the incident was 'painful for many' and promised to continue efforts to support 'community reconciliation and progress.' 

Karalus vowed to appeal the verdict when speaking to reporters outside of court, calling the case a 'shakedown,' according to the Minnesota Star Tribune. 

'They ought to be ashamed of themselves. The prosecutor ought to be ashamed of himself, the judge ought to be ashamed of herself. I had a battle here for four days on a stupid misdemeanor, disorderly conduct. This is nuts. This is crazy,' he said.

The verdict follows a case that gripped the nation for over a year. Hendrix launched a GiveSendGo that has raised almost $900,000 of its $1 million goal. 

She wrote an update last August that she used the donation money to 'buy my family a home with plenty of land' and would be using the remaining funds for legal fees. 

'We are now in a place with excellent demographics, and we are thriving,' Hendrix wrote. 

In her last post in June ahead of her trial, Hendrix shared another update, writing, 'Minnesota will never cease to amaze me. Our freedom of speech is under attack. Europeans are under attack. We see it more and more everyday. It's sickening. It needs to stop.' 

She ended her update saying 'Hail Victory, Shiloh.' Hail Victory translates to Sieg Heil in German and is associated with Nazi Germany. Many of the donors expressed white nationalist views in the comments.

Rochester NAACP President Walé Elegbede told reporters outside the courthouse on Thursday night that what Hendrix did was 'horrible.' 

The Daily Mail has reached out to Hendrix's attorney for additional comment.