SIOUX FALLS, SD — A 19-year-old man was sentenced to 40 years in prison on Thursday for a high-speed crash that killed two teenagers in April 2024.
Damion Laurelez pleaded guilty to two counts of first-degree manslaughter related to the deaths of 15-year-olds Eric Hopkins and Milana Reeves. Prosecutors dropped several other charges, including vehicular homicide, in a plea deal.
The incident occurred around 1:30 a.m. on April 27, 2024, when Laurelez was driving a 2004 Dodge Durango with nine youths after a house party. Witnesses reported speeds exceeding 100 mph before the vehicle lost control near 18th Street and Second Avenue, ultimately colliding with a tree and a house.
Both Hopkins and Reeves were pronounced dead at the scene, while several others sustained serious injuries but survived. “This was a catastrophic scene,” said Lieutenant Andy Siebenborn of the police department's accident investigation unit.
Although Laurelez was a minor at the time of the crash, authorities charged him as an adult after working with the Minnehaha County State's Attorney's Office. He initially pleaded not guilty before entering into a plea agreement.
As of Friday afternoon, Laurelez has not yet been processed into the prison system, according to the Department of Corrections.