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Derrick Thompson Sentenced to Nearly 59 Years for Deadly Minneapolis Crash

Prosecutors highlighted his 2018 hit-and-run history with DNA tests plus surveillance footage to prove he drove the rented Escalade that killed five women

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Defendant Derrick John Thompson, left, stands next to his attorney, Tyler Bliss, as he is pronounced guilty on all counts in his criminal trial at the Hennepin County Government Center in Minneapolis on Friday, June 6, 2025. A jury found Thompson guilty on five counts of third-degree murder and 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide for the deaths of five young women in a Minneapolis car crash in June 2023. (Aaron Nesheim / Sahan Journal)
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Overview

  • Judge Carolina Lamas imposed five consecutive third-degree murder sentences totaling 704 months, rejecting defense arguments for concurrent terms.
  • At Thursday’s hearing, Thompson publicly admitted for the first time that he was driving and expressed remorse to the victims’ families.
  • Authorities say his rented Escalade ran a red light at East Lake Street and 2nd Avenue South while traveling over 100 mph, colliding with a Honda carrying five Somali American women ages 17 to 20.
  • Forensic DNA analysis matched Thompson to blood in the Escalade with a one-in-a-billion likelihood, undermining his claim that his brother was behind the wheel.
  • Thompson is set for federal sentencing in September after his conviction on firearm and fentanyl charges linked to the crash.