Driver sentenced for fatal Lyndale Avenue crash in Minneapolis

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Law enforcement respond to a fatal crash in Minneapolis Wednesday night.  (FOX 9)

MINNEAPOLIS (FOX 9) - A judge sentenced a man to 10 years in prison for his involvement in a DWI crash in Minneapolis that left a woman dead and 10 other people injured. 

Talon Covie-Cadrell Walker, 30, was sentenced to 120 months in prison with 344 days of credit for time already served.

Police recovered an open bottle of liquor after the crash, which involved seven vehicles on Lyndale Avenue in October 2024. 

READ MORE: Fatal Lyndale crash charges: Open liquor bottle found in suspect vehicle

Fatal Minneapolis crash sentencing 

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Walker, 30, was sentenced on Thursday, Oct. 2, to 120 months in prison for multiple charges related to the crash.

The woman killed in the crash, 26-year-old Natalie Gubbay, was found dead at the scene of the crash. 

Law enforcement determined Walker was driving more than 100 mph and was above the legal alcohol limit at the time of the crash. Police also found an open bottle of liquor inside the Chevy Avalanche he was driving.

Walker pleaded guilty to one count of criminal vehicular homicide and two counts of criminal vehicular operation. 

The Hennepin County Attorney's Office said Minnesota sentencing guidelines put the presumptive sentence for criminal vehicular homicide at 48 months for someone with a criminal history score of zero. The negotiated range was 90 to 120 months because of the severity of the incident. 

What they're saying:

Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty released the following statement after the sentencing:

"A sequence of poor choices and complete disregard for others took Natalie from her loved ones. My thoughts are with Natalie's family and the other victims whose lives changed for the worse that night. This sentence protects our community and holds Mr. Walker accountable. There are plenty of options to get home safe. Dangerous driving is a choice."

Fatal Lyndale crash in October 2024

The backstory:

Witnesses told law enforcement Walker was driving at about 100 mph at the time of the crash, according to the complaint. 

The Avalanche reportedly pushed the Jeep into the back of a Ford Edge, which was then pushed into the back of a Nissan Versa, which was pushed into a Toyata RAV4, which then struck an Audi Q5.

The complaint states "the force of the crash caused two of the cars to be pushed 180 degrees sideways."

The criminal complaint notes that Walker has a prior implied consent license revocation from June 17, 2021.

Court records show he had a DWI arrest in 2021, although the case was settled as a case of misdemeanor careless driving.

Walker's other offenses include disorderly conduct and violating domestic abuse no-contact orders. 

A total of 10 people were injured, including Walker, with nine people being taken to the hospital. A total of seven vehicles were involved in the crash.