Driver Who Killed 5 in High-Speed Crash Sentenced to 58 Years
A Minneapolis man who caused a high-speed crash that killed five young women in 2023 was sentenced Thursday to 704 months in prison, following a jury’s guilty verdict last month.
Derrick John Thompson, 29, was convicted in June of five counts each of third-degree murder, criminal vehicular homicide for gross negligence, and criminal vehicular homicide for leaving the scene of a deadly crash.
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The crash occurred on June 16, 2023, when Thompson fled a traffic stop at high speed and slammed into a vehicle carrying five young women who were returning from a day at a mosque. All five died at the scene. They were later identified as 17-year-old Sabiriin Mahamoud Ali, 19-year-old Siham Ada Odhowa, 20-year-old Sahra Liban Gesaade, 20-year-old Sagal Burhaan Hersi, and 20-year-old Salma Mohamed Abdikadir.
The Hennepin County Attorney’s Office described Thompson’s driving conduct as “egregious,” citing the fact that he had previously been convicted in California for a similar offense that left another person critically injured. Despite that, prosecutors said Thompson again made the choice to flee at extreme speeds, blowing through a red light at more than 90 miles per hour and striking the victims’ vehicle in a heavily trafficked area of Lake Street East and Blaisdell Avenue in Minneapolis.
READ MORE > Derrick Thompson coverage
During sentencing, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the focus must remain on the five women and the families left grieving their loss.
“Five women were taken from their loved ones because of Mr. Thompson’s choices that night,” Moriarty said. “He is being held accountable, and the length of this sentence ensures he cannot cause this type of damage to our community again.”
The scene of the crash Friday, June 16, 2023. SUBMITTED
In a related federal trial, Thompson was found guilty in Oct. 2024 of possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, being a felon in illegal possession of a firearm and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking crime.
Investigators found over 2,000 fentanyl pills, cocaine, a loaded handgun and other drug paraphernalia in the rented SUV involved in the crash. His federal sentencing is scheduled for Sept. 25, 2025.
Authorities previously revealed that Thompson had rented the car used in the crash just hours earlier and was driving on a revoked license at the time.
Surveillance video, crash reconstruction data, and witness accounts were all used during the trial to support the state’s case that Thompson knowingly fled and never attempted to brake before impact.
READ MORE > Derrick Thompson coverage
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