MPLS Man Pleads Guilty In Crash That Killed Burnsville Catholic Priest

BURNSVILLE, MN — A 28-year-old Minneapolis man pleaded guilty Tuesday to one count of criminal vehicular homicide (gross negligence) in connection with the death of a Burnsville Catholic priest.

Trejean Derrell Curry crashed and killed 73-year-old Rev. Dennis "Denny" Dempsey, who was a pastor at the Church of the Risen Savior in Burnsville.

A sentencing hearing was scheduled for Feb. 15.

"Father Dempsey’s death serves as yet another tragic and painful reminder as to why it’s so extremely important for drivers to give their full attention to the road when they get behind the wheel," said Dakota County Attorney Kathy Keena in a news release.

"My sincere condolences to the friends, family members, and loved ones of Father Dempsey."

Keena praised Criminal Division Head Amy Schaffer and Assistant County Attorney Stephen Grego, stating, "I'm grateful to our prosecution team and to our law enforcement partners for their dedication to this case."

According to the criminal complaint, on the afternoon of Oct. 25, 2021, the Rosemount Police Department responded to a call of a crash that involved a vehicle and bicyclist on County Road 42, west of Auburn Avenue.

At the scene, police found Dempsy in a ditch. He was non-responsive and pronounced dead at the scene.

Curry was at the scene and his vehicle's windshield was smashed, according to the criminal complaint.

According to police, Curry said he was driving in the right lane when the bicyclist swerved out in front of him. However, further investigation found that was false and in reality, he had been driving completely on the shoulder and was likely speeding.

Investigators later learned that Curry’s driver’s license was revoked at the time of the crash.

Editor's note: A previous version of this article was updated for clarity.