Trial begins in 2023 crash that killed five Somali American women

Jury selection for the criminal trial of Derrick John Thompson, who stands accused of causing a fatal car crash that killed five Somali American women in June 2023, began on Tuesday in Hennepin County.

The proceedings mark the formal start of a legal case that has drawn national attention and stirred deep emotions within Minnesota’s Somali and Muslim communities.

Thompson, 29, is facing 15 felony charges. These include five counts of third-degree murder and ten counts of criminal vehicular homicide.

According to the criminal complaint, Thompson was driving a rented Cadillac Escalade at approximately 95 miles per hour in a 55-mph zone when he exited Interstate 35W at Lake Street and ran a red light.

The vehicle then struck a Honda Civic occupied by five young women who were returning from a pre-wedding henna gathering. All five victims died at the scene.

The deceased were identified as Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Odhowa, 19.

They were known in the community as students, educators, and caretakers. Their deaths led to an outpouring of grief as thousands attended their joint funeral held at the Dar Al Farooq Islamic Centre and the Garden of Eden Cemetery in Burnsville.

“They had bright futures,” said Khalid Omar, a teacher at Dar Al Farooq Islamic Centre. “And the way the community came together to bury them, together, shows how deeply we all felt their loss.”

After the crash, Thompson allegedly fled on foot but was apprehended in a nearby area.

Law enforcement officers reported discovering a black bag in the SUV containing more than 2,000 fentanyl pills, 13 MDMA tablets, cocaine, and a loaded Glock handgun with an extended magazine.

Surveillance footage later confirmed that Thompson rented the vehicle at the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport less than 30 minutes before the crash.

In October 2024, Thompson was convicted in federal court on three charges: possession with intent to distribute fentanyl, unlawful possession of a firearm as a felon, and carrying a firearm during a drug trafficking offense.

Forensic analysis tied his DNA to the drugs, firearm, and the driver’s side door of the vehicle involved in the crash.

Police also located messages on his phone referencing “30,000 blues,” a known slang term for fentanyl pills.

During the federal trial, Thompson’s legal team claimed that the drugs and firearm belonged to his brother, Damarco Thompson, who they said had also been in the vehicle and fled the crash site.

Prosecutors labelled this assertion “a red herring.” Damarco Thompson has not been located or charged, and authorities have not been able to verify his presence at the scene.

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