Derrick Thompson trial: Opening statements on Thursday

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - Opening statements were held Thursday in the trial of Derrick Thompson, the son of a former Minnesota lawmaker charged with murder in a deadly crash in Minneapolis that claimed the lives of five young women nearly two years ago.

Derrick Thompson trial

What we know:

Thompson's trial started Thursday afternoon with opening statements after jury selection wrapped in the case earlier in the day.

Thompson faces 15 counts, including third-degree murder and criminal vehicular homicide.

Deadly wreck in Minneapolis

The backstory:

In June 2023, troopers said Thompson was behind the wheel of a rented black Cadillac Escalade when he exited Interstate 35W onto Lake Street at high speed, ran a light, and crashed into a car carrying five young women.

Thompson may have taken the exit in an attempt to avoid a traffic stop. The criminal complaint explains that, shortly before the crash, a trooper on patrol had clocked Thompson going 95 mph in a 55 mph zone on I-35W. The trooper said Thompson was also driving recklessly, weaving in and out of traffic.

The trooper pulled out to stop Thompson but said he took the Lake Street exit before the trooper could activate his lights.

The crash:

Troopers said Thompson plowed into the vehicle carrying the young women at the intersection of Lake Street and 2nd Avenue South.

All five women, Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, Sahra Liban Gesaade, Sagal Burhaan Hersi, Siham Adan Odhowa, and Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali, were killed in the wreck. The women were all between the ages of 17 and 20.

Despite the intense impact of the crash, troopers said Thompson was able to run from the Escalade but was arrested a short distance away, in front of a Taco Bell. Inside the Escalade, troopers found a receipt showing the Escalade had been rented by Thompson. Surveillance video also showed Thompson picking up the Escalade from the Hertz location at the airport just 30 minutes before the crash.

Police said Thompson appeared to be impaired after the crash. A search warrant stated Thompson was talking normally but then "quickly" became sleepy, with drooping eyelids, and became uncommunicative.

Dig deeper:

Thompson is the son of former Minnesota House representative John Thompson.

John Thompson rose to prominence as an activist for change after the killing of his friend Philando Castile. However, he ended up serving only one term in the House after facing controversy following a traffic stop in St. Paul where John Thompson was allegedly driving with a suspended license. FOX 9 later uncovered past accounts of John Thompson being accused of domestic abuse.

Thompson faces prison time in federal case

Big picture view:

It has taken nearly two years for the murder case to go to trial, largely because of a federal case that Thompson faced related to the deadly crash.

Thompson was convicted last fall on drug and gun charges related to fentanyl, MDMA, cocaine, and a pistol found in the Escalade following the crash.

He is still awaiting sentencing in that case.

Previous crash:

Thompson previously served time in prison for a 2018 crash in California that left a woman in a coma for several weeks.

Thompson was sentenced to eight years behind bars in 2020 but was released early in January 2023 due to time served and his participation in a program that teaches inmates to fight wildfires.