Driver pleads guilty in Minnesota crash that killed 2 teens

A man charged in a crash last year that killed two teens in northwestern Minnesota has pleaded guilty to two counts of third-degree murder.

Valentin Mendoza, 21, was charged in the June 2021 crash on Highway 220 near East Grand Forks.

A crash report showed Mendoza was going 75 mph in a 45 mph zone when he crossed the center line and hit the teens’ vehicle head on.

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Ethan Carsen, 17, and his 16-year-old passenger, Damien Powell, both from Grand Forks, died of their injuries days after the crash.

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Mendoza previously had pleaded not guilty to the two charges, but in an agreement with prosecutors changed his pleas in court Wednesday.

Mendoza will be sentenced on Dec. 14.