Derrick Thompson (KARE/YouTube).
Jurors in the Minnesota trial of a driver accused of crashing into another vehicle, resulting in the deaths of five young women, were uncertain about the defendant’s responsibility until the prosecution presented an unexpected witness: the defendant’s brother.
Derrick Thompson was charged with five counts of third-degree murder and 10 counts of vehicular homicide due to the fatal accident in 2023. After renting a Cadillac Escalade in the Minneapolis area, Thompson rapidly accelerated to 95 mph, maneuvering recklessly through traffic. Upon leaving the highway, he sped through a red light and collided with a Honda Civic, which led to the immediate death of the women inside.
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Thompson’s defense claimed it was his brother, Damarco Thompson, at the wheel of the Escalade since his sibling’s hat and car keys were found in the vehicle. Prosecutors later issued a sudden subpoena demanding the brother’s testimony. On the witness stand, Damarco asserted he wasn’t inside the Escalade with Derrick Thompson. Instead, he recounted driving his brother to the rental location for vehicle pickup and then following in his Dodge Challenger until Derrick started speeding off, as per a courtroom report from the Sahan Journal.
Damarco Thompson’s testimony was key to getting his brother convicted, juror Lucas Sundelius told local NBC affiliate KARE after the verdict.
“A lot of the questions [he answered] helped clear up the fact that they had multiple sets of keys for the Challenger,” Sundelius said. “Having him testify was extremely helpful.”
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Another key aspect of the testimony was seeing the height difference between the brothers, according to Sundelius. The defendant was much taller than his brother and jurors noted the driver’s seat in the Escalade was pulled back.
“When we saw that we were like ‘OK we think it’s him rather than his brother,”” Sundelius told the TV station.
As a result, the jury convicted Derrick Thompson on all 15 counts in the deaths of Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, Sahra Liban Gesaade, Sagal Burhaan Hersi, Siham Adan Odhowa, and Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali. The victims were between 17 and 20 years old.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said the crash was “entirely preventable.”
“This was a heartbreaking tragedy that took the lives of five women who had their whole lives ahead of them,” she said in a statement. “In an instant, they were ripped from their loved ones because of Mr. Thompson’s reckless and dangerous actions. His choices that day scarred many lives and affected an entire community. Mr. Thompson is being held accountable, and we will do everything we can to ensure that he can never do this again.”
Thompson is slated to be sentenced on July 24.
As Law&Crime previously reported, a probable cause arrest affidavit said a Minnesota State Police trooper just after 10 p.m. on June 16, 2023, saw the Escalade flying down I-35W at 95 mph in a 55 mph zone and cutting across four lanes of traffic.
Derrick Thompson allegedly took an exit ramp, ran a red light and T-boned the Civic traveling through the intersection. Cops say the Civic ended up pinned against the wall of the I-35W bridge. A trooper, who never had a chance to activate his cruiser lights, observed the crash from about 800 feet away.
“The trooper immediately went to the black Honda Civic. The trooper observed that the black Honda Civic had extensive damage and all five victims in the Honda Civic had no signs of life and were deceased,” the affidavit said.
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Thompson allegedly limped away from the crash scene and sat down in a nearby Taco Bell parking lot. Cops tracked him and found him suffering from a gash on his forehead. He reportedly claimed the head wound was “an old cut” and said he “fell” earlier in the night. Witnesses, however, identified him as the driver.
Troopers later learned he had rented the SUV less than a half hour before crashing it, the affidavit said.
Cops say Thompson had THC in his system. He also allegedly had a Glock with an extended magazine, 2,000 pills of suspected fentanyl, 13 pills of suspected MDMA and 35.6 grams of cocaine in the Escalade.
Per the affidavit, Thompson admitted to being the driver of the SUV during the crash in a phone call he made while in custody, claiming he was trying to avoid another vehicle “on his bumper” at the time of the crash. Video showed there was no car behind him.
“The senseless deaths of these five young women at the hands of Mr. Thompson has devastated their families and communities,” Moriarty said when she filed the murder charges last year. “The sad fact is that he has done this before.”
Thompson was reportedly released from prison in California about six months before the crash. In that incident, Thompson was fleeing from cops in a rented vehicle when he crashed into a pedestrian, pinning her against a concrete retaining wall. The pedestrian was “severely injured and hospitalized.” A search of the rental turned up 18 pounds of marijuana and about $20,000 in cash.
“His lengthy record of dangerous driving, the trail of devastation he’s left in his wake, and his conduct in this case make these more serious charges appropriate. We will continue to seek a lengthy period of incarceration to keep the community safe,” Moriarty said.
Thompson is the son of former state Rep. John Thompson, a Democrat, who served in the legislature from 2021 to 2023. He was expelled from his caucus in September 2021 after reports surfaced that he was violent toward women, the Pioneer Press reported. He was defeated by a fellow Democrat in the 2022 primary election.
