The man accused of killing five women in a high-speed crash in Minneapolis last year is now facing murder charges.
Derrick John Thompson , 28, of Brooklyn Park, has been charged with five counts of 3rd-degree murder after he allegedly ran a red light in a rented Cadillac and smashed into the vehicle carrying the women at the intersection of Lake Street and Second Avenue in June 2023.
Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty announced the amended charges against Thompson on Monday. He remains charged with the original ten counts of criminal vehicular homicide.
Thompson, the son of former Minnesota Representative John Thompson, was allegedly was weaving in and out of traffic and traveling at 95 mph on I-35W shortly before exiting and running the red light at the end of the ramp.
The women killed were between 17 and 20: Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Odhowa, 19.
According to the Sahan Journal , the women, some of whom were related, had been together to get henna tattoos applied at Karmel Mall ahead of a friend’s wedding.