Prosecution, defense rest in Derrick Thompson murder trial hours after brother's testimony
Both prosecution and defense have rested their cases in the trial of Derrick Thompson — hours after his brother testified against him.
Thompson is accused of killing five young women in a south Minneapolis crash. His brother, Damarco Thompson, was subpoenaed by the prosecution and took the stand earlier Wednesday. He said didn't want to be there, but laid out his side of the story.
His testimony comes a week after defense attorneys filed a motion informing the court of a planned "alternative perpetrator" defense, with WCCO confirming Thompson's brother, who is not charged in the case, as their alleged culprit.
On the day of the deadly crash, Damarco Thompson, 32, testified that he drove his brother to the airport in a Dodge Challenger to rent a car. Derrick Thompson eventually chose a Cadillac Escalade, and they drove in their separate vehicles from the airport.
They later stopped to exchange some items. Damarco Thompson said he gave his brother a blue hat and Derrick Thompson grabbed a change of clothes from the back of the Dodge.
Damarco Thompson said when his brother drove off, there was nobody else in the SUV. He also said at no point during the day did he drive the SUV.
During cross-examination, Damarco Thompson denied being in the Cadillac during the crash. He said he was only inside the Cadillac briefly at the airport.
On the night of June 16, 2023, prosecutors allege Thompson drew the attention of a state trooper on Interstate 35W by driving the Cadillac erratically at more than 100 mph. Before the trooper turned their emergency lights on, Thompson allegedly cut across several lanes of traffic and exited onto East Lake Street, still speeding.
Surveillance cameras captured his vehicle blowing a red light and slamming into a Honda Civic. Five young women in the car were killed: Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Odhowa, 19.
Earlier this week, a Minneapolis police officer whose body-worn camera captured the crash's aftermath off East Lake Street was questioned about the video, which shows officers speaking with a bloodied Thompson near the scene. The footage shows the officer talking to a witness who says Thompson matched the description of the driver who ran from the crash scene. Thompson tells the officer he was bloody due to police harassment.
The officer testified she followed department protocol of showing a suspect to a witness at night in front of squad car headlights, and she had gathered enough information to detain Thompson.
Closing arguments are expected to begin Thursday.
Thompson is charged with five counts of third-degree murder and 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide for the crash.
Note: Featured video is from June 3, 2025.
