Derrick Thompson sentenced to nearly 59 years for Minneapolis crash that killed 5 young women
Several Minnesota families saw justice served on Thursday morning after five young women were killed in a high-speed crash two summers ago in Minneapolis.
A jury found 29-year-old Derrick Thompson guilty last month in the deaths of Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Odhowa, 19. The group of friends were preparing for a friend's wedding at the time of the crash.
On Thursday morning, Judge Carolina A. Lamas sentenced Thompson to 58 years and eight months. He'll serve nearly 40 of those years in prison, with about 19.5 of those years accounting for supervised release. He also has a credit of 767 days for time served.
Thompson was convicted of five counts of third-degree murder and 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide. He was also convicted of several federal drug and illegal firearm charges in connection to this case. His next federal court hearing is set for Aug. 25. Attorneys for the families say they hope even more time is added to his sentence.
Many of the victims' families were on hand for Thursday's hearing, with six members giving impact statements before Lamas handed down her sentence. All echoed the same demand: give Thompson a life sentence without the possibility of parole.
"Her life was just beginning," said Sundus Ali, Sabiriin Ali's older sister. "She had dreams of attending university, of making a difference in the world and of helping those in need, as she did. All of that was taken away when that sorry-ass loser murdered my sister. Losing Sabiriin ... is a wound that will never heal."
Thompson addresses the court
According to court documents, Thompson topped speeds of 100 mph while driving erratically on Interstate 35W in south Minneapolis on the night of June 16, 2023.
A state trooper testified they were following Thompson without emergency lights activated, and saw him speed off onto East Lake Street, where he blindsided and instantly killed the victims.
During Thursday's hearing, Lamas allowed Thompson to give a final statement before his sentence was read. He spoke for more than five minutes, mixing apology with several disclosures about the mental toll the last two years has taken on him.
"As a man that cherished family, I have a beautiful young daughter and sisters who I love unconditionally, I can only imagine … what the pain must be like, and I have shedded so many tears through these days and nights that as a man who was raised not to cry, my floodgates broke," Thompson said.
He also said he "never wanted to bring this case to trial."
"I was guilty. I was involved. I never wanted to continue this hurt from multiple news report and prosecution team making me seem as though I'm this mad man," he said. "I tried numerous of times, countless chambers meetings to close this case. Before I even knew what this case held, I offered 15 years because I wanted to show remorse."
Nearly a year ago, state prosecutors offered Thompson's legal team a plea deal where he would serve between 32-38 years in prison if he pleaded guilty to five counts of criminal vehicular homicide. Thompson refused.
During his trial, Thompson's defense argued his brother was actually behind the wheel driving. Damarco Thompson testified he wasn't in the Cadillac during the crash, and was only briefly inside when his brother rented it about 30 minutes earlier at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport.
"For over two years, he refused to take responsibility for what he did, sitting there with that smug look on his face," said Sundus Ali. "He made us sit through two trials. He put our family through so much, and he doesn't care."
The similarities between Thompson's crash-related convictions
Before impact statements were given on Thursday, Lamas said she considered Thompson's criminal history — including a similar drug-related crash in California in 2018 that put another motorist in a coma for weeks — while making her sentencing decision.
"The state has met their burden in proving each of the criminal history points," Lamas said.
In the 2018 crash, police found $20,000 in cash in Thompson's vehicle and 17-plus pounds of marijuana. He was sentenced to eight years in prison, but was released early after participating in a prisoner firefighter program. The Minneapolis crash came just months after his release.
In the 2023 crash, police found a loaded handgun inside his rented vehicle, in addition to more than 2,000 fentanyl pills and other narcotics, according to the criminal complaint. Thompson had also fled the scenes of both crashes.
In a statement released late Thursday morning, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said Thompson is "being held accountable, and the length of this sentence ensures he cannot cause this type of damage to our community again."
Thompson is the son of former Minnesota State Rep. John Thompson, a close friend of Philando Castile who served one scandal-laden term representing St. Paul's District 67A before losing reelection in a landslide.
