MINNEAPOLIS — Derrick Thompson is rolling the dice, turning down a plea agreement and instead going to trial on charges of third-degree murder and criminal vehicular homicide for allegedly crashing into a car and killing five friends while fleeing police. 

Hennepin County District Court officials confirm that Thompson and his defense team have scuttled the plea deal, opting instead for a trial that is set to begin on Feb. 18, 2025. 

KARE 11 has requested details of the plea agreement that Thompson turned down and will share them when available. 

Thompson stands charged with five counts of third-degree murder and 10 of criminal vehicular homicide for allegedly causing the deaths of five young women ages 17 to 20: Salma Mohamed Abdikadir, Sahra Liban Gesaade, Sagal Burhaan Hersi, Siham Adan Odhowa, and Sabiriin Mohamoud Ali. Prosecutors say the victims were in a vehicle sitting at a stoplight on Lake St. when Thompson’s SUV sped through a red light and struck them. Investigators say he was fleeing after being clocked by a state trooper on I-94 doing 95 mph in a 55 miles-per-hour zone. 

The defendant fled on foot following the crash before officers took him into custody. Inside Thompson’s rented SUV police found a loaded handgun and significant qualities of drugs, including fentanyl. He would later insist that both the weapon and the drugs belonged to his brother, who Thompson insists was in the vehicle with him at the time of the crash. 

When announcing the addition of murder charges in the case Sept. 16, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty indicated her office would seek enhanced sentencing against Thompson. 

“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.”

Along with the state charges, Thompson is charged at the federal level for being a felon in possession of a handgun. 

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