MINNEAPOLIS— A 19 year old woman pleaded guilty to charges stemming from a fiery crash in Minneapolis who killed a man one day before his birthday.
Mackenzie Lene pleaded guilty Monday to one count of criminal vehicular homicide and one count of criminal vehicular operation for the March 31 crash that killed a 20-year-old Cole Thompson.
The crash happened at approximately 2:38 a.m. on Hiawatha Avenue near 41st Street East.
When officers arrived, police found the vehicle fully engulfed in flames. Two passengers were taken to Hennepin Healthcare, where one of them died. The other passenger suffered third-degree burns, a concussion and broken ribs.
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According to the criminal complaint, the driver, later identified as Lene, and another passenger fled the scene when emergency responders arrived.
The police checked the car’s license plates and discovered that it was registered to Lene.
According to investigators, Thompson and a friend were drinking at a party and decided not to drink and drive and instead got into Lene’s car.
A witness in the car said Lene was driving fast and aggressively before crashing, killing Thompson and his friend, the complaint said.
A nearby surveillance video allegedly caught Lene walking down an alley, where she can be heard saying, “I’m going home as soon as I can, I need to talk to my dad,” before shouting, “It’s fucking burned out.” .”
Lene’s sentencing is scheduled for February 7, 2025.
Note: The above video originally aired on April 25, 2024.
