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Forensic scientist, victim's sister among day 4 witnesses in Derrick Thompson crash trial

Victim's sister testifies in Derrick Thompson's murder trial
Victim's sister testifies in Derrick Thompson's murder trial 01:02

Tuesday is the fourth day of testimony in the trial of Derrick Thompson, the son of a former Minnesota state representative accused of a deadly crash in south Minneapolis.

Five young women were killed on the night of June 16, 2023: Salma Abdikadir, 20; Sabiriin Ali, 17; Sahra Gesaade, 20; Sagal Hersi, 19; and Siham Odhowa, 19.

Thompson is charged with five counts of third-degree murder and 10 counts of criminal vehicular homicide for the crash.

On Tuesday morning, Sundus Odhowa, Siham Odhowa's older sister, took the witness stand, where she described her sister as the pillar of their family.  

"She brought light to every room she walked in. She was always happy, was kind to everybody around her," said Sundus Odhowa. "She was a good friend, good sister and good daughter. And she was taken away from us way too soon."

A forensic scientist with Hennepin County's crime lab also testified on Tuesday morning, discussing his work on the evening of the crash, where he took pictures and swabbed for DNA. A surgeon and a registered nurse who treated Thompson that night also took the stand.

Later in the day, jurors heard from a Minneapolis police sergeant whose body camera captured neighbors telling him they saw a man running and limping from the crash scene.  

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WCCO

In court on Monday, 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.

"Please tell them it is not me. I'm [6 feet 5 inches tall], it's not hard for me to be missed. My hair is not blonde. My hair is red. Please tell them that this is not me," Thompson said in the video.

The witness refutes Thompson's denial to his face.

"He literally has blood on his face. It's you, bro. He's been here a hot minute. I've been here a hot minute," the witness said in the video. "You're sweating. You have blood on your face."

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.

Jurors also saw body cam footage on Monday from state trooper Vincent Wren, which shows him encounter the rented SUV Thompson's alleged of crashing, and the Honda Civic carrying the victims.

"I went up to the Civic first, and the Civic looked like if you had a pop can and you laid the pop can down on the ground and stomped on it," Wren said. "It didn't look much like a car at that point."

Burhan Warfaa, Hersi's father, gave emotional testimony on Monday through an interpreter about losing his daughter.

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Derrick Thompson Hennepin County Sheriff's Office

"It is very hard for me. She was the best daughter any father could have," Warfaa said.

On Friday, trooper Andres Guerra testified he spotted the SUV Thompson's accused of driving on Interstate 35W driving erratically and at speeds near 100 mph before the crash. Guerra said his emergency lights weren't on as he followed Thompson moments before he's accused of running a red light and striking the victims' car.

Thompson's team is using an "alternative perpetrator" defense, arguing Thompson's brother was actually behind the wheel. His brother hasn't been arrested or criminally charged in the case.

Thompson was convicted last fall of several federal drug-related charges in connection to the crash and received an eight-year sentence. He rejected a proposed plea deal from the Hennepin County Attorney's Office for the state charges last summer.

WCCO has a camera inside the courtroom and will break down the key moments. This story will be updated.

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