A Minneapolis man crashed his rented SUV while driving at 95 mph in a 55 mph zone, killing five young women on 16 June, 2023. Police arriving at the scene to inspect the crash found that the driver had fled.
Identified as Derrick Thompson, he ran from the vehicle after the accident, apparently hoping he wouldn’t get caught. However, a woman witnessed him running away and described him to officers, who found him sitting in the nearby Taco Bell parking lot with injuries.
Thompson initially claimed he had simply fallen and injured himself, despite struggling to walk. Officers brought a witness to identify him, and she confirmed he was the one responsible for the crash.
The victims were identified as Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sagal Hersi, 19; Siham Odhowa, 19; Sahra Gesaade, 20; and Salma Abdikadir, 20. The group of friends were together that night to prepare for a friend’s wedding when the fatal crash happened.
Investigators later determined that the black Cadillac Escalade involved in the crash was rented from the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport, just 30 minutes before the crash.
In his defense, Thompson argued that he did not match the description and was taller than the witness described. Moreover, he claimed his brother was behind the wheel. Police also searched the vehicle and found a loaded handgun, more than 2,000 fentanyl pills, along with other narcotics, which added to more charges.
Ultimately, airport surveillance and other evidence identified Thompson as the driver. He was ultimately charged with 15 felony counts: five counts of third-degree murder and 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide.
In 2024, Thompson turned down a plea deal that would have dismissed five of the counts if he pleaded guilty. He, however, went to trial and was found guilty in 2025. As a result, he was sentenced to 58 years and eight months in state prison. In March 2026, he received a separate 17-year federal prison sentence for the drugs and firearm. The judge ordered five years of that sentence to be served consecutively to his state time, bringing his total prison sentence to 63 years and eight months.
The trial lasted over two years, and Thompson did not take responsibility for the deaths until his final sentencing hearing, where he apologized to the grieving families.
One of the victims’ family members gave an emotional testimony in the court: “For over 2 years, he refused to take responsibility for what he did. Sitting there with that smug look on his face. He has zero care at all. He made us sit through two trials. He put our family through so much.”
Disclaimer: The Inquisitr individually could not independently confirm the facts of this incident and is reporting based on the information available within the public video record.
