Hennepin County Attorney’s Office announces new third-degree murder charges against Derrick John Thompson
9/16/2024
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty today announced that the Office is amending charges against Derrick John Thompson of Brooklyn Park, who is charged with killing five young women after he allegedly sped through a red light and smashed into their car.
Thompson is now charged with five counts of third-degree murder, on top of the original 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide. He is accused of driving 95 mph on I-35W, passing a state Trooper, exiting on Lake Street, and then running a red light and smashing into the victims’ car at a high rate of speed.
The June 2023 crash killed five young women ages 17 to 20: Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, Sahra Liban Gesaade, Sagal Burhaan Hersi, Siham Adan Odhowa, and Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali.
“The senseless deaths of these five young women at the hands of Mr. Thompson has devastated their families and communities,” said Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty. “The sad fact is that he has done this before. Just six months before this crash, Mr. Thompson was released from a California prison for fleeing police, speeding off the highway and onto city streets where he struck and severely injured a woman. 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.
“Hennepin County has seen an increasing number of driving tragedies in recent months, and I urge everyone who gets behind the wheel to remember that a car can become a weapon and destroy lives in a single moment,” Moriarty said.
The original charges against Thompson, which remain in place, include five counts each of criminal vehicular homicide (leaving the scene) and criminal vehicular homicide (operating a motor vehicle in a grossly negligent manner).
Thompson has a lengthy history of dangerous driving including prior convictions for:
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Felony evading police causing injury or death, felony hit-and-run resulting in serious bodily injury or death, and felony conspiracy (18-CR-08-676) (2020, California);