A heaviness lifted from Fadumo Tingle’s shoulders Friday after jurors convicted the driver who killed her daughter and four other young Somali American women in a high-speed crash. But she’s waiting for one last piece of justice — a long prison term when the driver is sentenced next month.
“He can call his mom and his dad from the jail and tell them he loves them,” Fadumo said at a news conference Friday following the verdict. “But our daughters, they are never going to call us. They will never say, ‘I love you.’”
Derrick Thompson, 29, was convicted of 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide and five counts of third-degree murder for the June 16, 2023 crash. Prosecutors say he was driving a rented Cadillac Escalade SUV about 100 miles-an-hour when he abruptly exited Interstate 35W, ran a red light and T-boned the women’s Honda Civic on Lake Street at 2nd Avenue in Minneapolis.
“All of our mothers — five of us — and five fathers, we feel relief right now,” Fadumo said as more than a dozen of the women’s parents and loved ones stood behind her.
The crash killed Fadumo’s daughter, Sahra Gesaade, 20; and Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; Siham Odhowa, 19; and Sabiriin Ali, 17. The women were described as “pillars” and “stars” of their community, and had been preparing for a wedding the next day.
The women’s close friend, Yusra Ali, said the verdict was a “bittersweet moment,” and that while it provides some accountability, nothing can bring her friends back.
“Their absence has changed the course of all of our lives. Wounds are forever broken, and our families are forever in pain,” she said. “We believe justice will not be fully complete without the maximum sentence, anything less would fail to reflect the magnitude of what was taken from us.”
The verdict also coincided with Eid al-Adha, an important holiday for Muslims. Instead of celebrating, the women’s family members anxiously sat outside a courtroom for hours waiting for the verdict.
@sahanjournal Fadumo Tingle says she and four other families are relieved that Derrick Thompson was convicted on June 6, 2025, with killing their five daughters in a fatal crash. But the families are waiting for one last piece of justice — a long prison term when Thompson is sentenced on July 24. By @woo_alberto #Minneapolis #twincities #minnesota #police #derrickthompson #trial #carcrash #crash #crime ♬ original sound – Sahan Journal
“We could not properly celebrate until we heard what we heard today, which was a guilty verdict,” said Jaylani Hussein, executive director of the Minnesota chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations.
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Jurors deliberated over two days
Jurors began deliberating at about 11:30 a.m. Thursday after hearing six days of arguments and testimony, and announced their decision in open court about 2:45 p.m. Friday.
The women’s family members cried as the verdict was read. Afterwards, some of the victim’s mothers hugged Assistant Hennepin County Attorney Paige Starkey.
Thompson’s attorney, Tyler Bliss, said the verdict was “disappointing.”
One of the jurors, Abas Saed, 21, told Sahan Journal that the jury’s deliberations were an “intense” process.
“It was a hard decision, but it had to be the right one,” he said. “Something had to be done.”
He said most of the jurors’ deliberations centered around who was driving the SUV. He said all evidence pointed to it being Thompson.
Bliss had told jurors in his opening statement last week that DNA from multiple people were found in the SUV, and implied during the trial that Thompson’s brother, Damarco Thompson, could have been driving.
Jurors were also asked Friday to determine whether aggravating factors existed in the case, which would allow prosecutors to request a longer sentence for Thompson. Those factors included Thompson’s felony conviction in California for injuring a pedestrian in a hit-and-run crash, the speed he was driving in the Minneapolis case, and whether he failed to render aid to the Minneapolis victims. Jurors determined that all of the factors existed.
Prosecutors had wanted to introduce evidence about the California case at Thompson’s trial, but Hennepin County District Court Judge Carolina Lamas prohibited it. However, jurors were given the information Friday when they considered the aggravating factors.
“That proved a lot of things,” Abas said of the California case.
Families hope for a long sentence
Jeff Storms, an attorney representing the women’s families, said at a news conference that the families hope Thompson receives the longest prison term possible when he is sentenced on July 24.
“The families pray that Mr. Thompson will ultimately get every single day he could possibly get,” Storms said. “If he could get more than what’s allowed under the law, they would ask for it, and believe me, they have.”
The maximum sentence for third-degree murder in Minnesota is 25 years per count. Criminal vehicular homicide carries a maximum sentence of 10 years per count. State sentencing guidelines consider a defendant’s criminal history and other factors in determining prison terms.
Prosecutors have not said how much time they might seek.
Storms said Thompson forced the families to sit through two emotional and difficult trials — the state trial that just concluded, and a federal trial last year for charges related to a gun and drugs found in the SUV after the crash. Thompson was convicted in the federal case.
Thompson was offered a plea deal in the state case, but rejected it last November. In both cases, Thompson argued that his brother was responsible.
“That’s not accountability,” Storms said. “There’s been no acceptance by Mr. Thompson and no evidence that he is safe to be on our streets.”
Thompson’s sentence will be up to the judge, Hennepin County Attorney Mary Moriarty said at the same news conference. Lamas presided over the trial, and would be expected to sentence Thompson barring unforeseen circumstances. Because jurors found aggravating factors, Thompson could face a longer term than what is outlined in state sentencing guidelines.
Thompson was convicted of three criminal counts per victim. Moriarty said the sentencing judge could make Thompson serve his sentences for each woman consecutively instead of concurrently, which would mean more time in prison.
An emotional trial
The trial began last Tuesday with jury selection. Prosecutors called about 30 witnesses, including, Damarco Thompson, who testified that he was not in the Escalade at the time of the crash. Thompson’s defense had pointed to the possibility that Damarco Thompson was the driver; a prosecution witness testified that she saw Derrick Thompson flee the SUV after the crash.
The women’s family members gave emotional and tearful testimony as part of “spark of life” testimony, which allows jurors to learn more about the victims in a case.
Thompson’s defense did not call any witnesses, and Thompson did not testify.
Starkey said Friday that the amount of time the jury deliberated reflected their thoughtfulness and seriousness.
“This was a jury who took their job very seriously, and this was a long trial with a lot of exhibits and a lot of counts, and so I wasn’t personally surprised that they needed a night to sleep on it,” she said.
During closing arguments Thursday, Starkey said all evidence pointed to Thompson being the driver, and that his actions were “reckless” and “selfish,” without regard for human life.
“So what does indifference sound like?” she asked at the start of her closing arguments. She then played a video of Thompson taken from a police squad car after the crash.
“Do you know how long this is going to take?” Thompson asks police in the video, adding that he has Friday night plans he doesn’t want to miss.
Bliss said in his closing arguments that some of the prosecution’s witnesses were not credible, and told jurors they shouldn’t trust Damarco Thompson’s testimony.
Thompson is the son of former state DFL representative John Thompson, who did not appear to attend the trial.
