Man accused of using phone moments before crash that killed girl in rural Hennepin County
An 18-year-old man has been charged with criminal vehicular homicide in a crash that killed an 11-year-old girl in Independence, Minnesota.
Court documents show St. Paul resident Conner Michael Iversen was charged in Hennepin County on Monday.
Charges say officers responded to the Feb. 26 crash at the intersection of County Road 6 and County Road 83 around 8:14 a.m.
A witness at the scene told officials that a motorist in a GMC Acadia was traveling through the intersection when Iversen, driving a GMC Sierra, drove through the intersection without stopping and collided with the Acadia, according to court documents.
One of six passengers in the Acadia was 11-year-old Lilyana Loycano. Police found she was bleeding and had suffered a neck injury, charges say. She was taken to the hospital where she later died.
According to charges, other witnesses told officers Iversen didn't slow down when he entered the intersection.
Investigators say a crash report showed the Sierra was traveling at 63 mph one second before the crash, charges say. The speed limit in the area of the incident is 50 mph.
Officials later executed search warrants for Iversen's cell phone and discovered he was using it "in the moments leading up to the crash," court documents say.
If convicted, Iversen faces up to 10 years in prison and a maximum fine of $20,000.
Note: The video above originally aired Feb. 27, 2025.