Tragedy after Minnesota teen with appalling record behind the wheel decided to text while driving as family in SUV with 11-year-old girl inside approached

Published: 05:44, 17 April 2026 | Updated: 05:47, 17 April 2026 A Minnesota teen has been sentenced to over three years behind bars after he struck an SUV with a family of six inside, killing an 11-year-old girl.  Conner Iversen, 19, appeared in Hennepin County District Court on Wednesday for his sentencing after pleading guilty to criminal vehicular homicide in connection with a devastating collision on February 26, 2025.  Iversen, who had previously been arrested for other driving-related offenses, was texting while driving on the morning of February 26 when he sped through a stop sign and failed to yield for the family's vehicle, West Hennepin Public Safety said at the time.  Iversen's GMC Sierra hit the family's GMC Acadia, killing 11-year-old Lilyana Loycano. Lilyana's mother, Emmy, was driving their SUV. Her father, Eric, and her three brothers, Merric, 4, and twin brothers, Dominic and Jaxon, 15, were passengers. Everyone except Lilyana sustained minor injuries. She was transported to a local children's hospital with life-threatening injuries and died two days after the crash.  Iversen had a rap sheet before his sentencing. The same month of the horrific crash, police arrested him in connection with a stabbing.  The victim told authorities that he offered Iversen a ride and was allegedly assaulted, according to a criminal complaint previously reviewed by the Daily Mail.  Police said Iversen then hid out in a nearby maintenance building and was found covered in blood and scratches.  The Loycano family, pictured above, was struck in a horrific car crash last February. Lilyana (far left) died two days later. She's pictured above with her parents, Emmy and Eric, and her brothers, Dominic, Jaxon and Merric  Conner Iversen, pictured above in a booking photo, was sentenced on criminal vehicular homicide charges in Minnesota on Wednesday  Lilyana Locano, pictured above, suffered life-threatening injuries in the crash and died two days later in the hospital  He also has charges related to driving. On December 16, 2024, authorities said Iversen led police on a high-speed chase where he drove over 100 mph while weaving through traffic.  Iversen was also convicted of a misdemeanor charge of driving on the shoulder in September of 2024 and abandoning a motor vehicle without the owner's consent in December, 2024, according to court records.  Multiple victim statements were read aloud in court during Iversen's sentencing on Wednesday.  Lilyana's uncle tearfully recounted the day he was informed of her death and was forced to tell his daughter that his best friend and cousin had been killed.  He said that Iversen had 'shown absolutely zero accountability or remorse,' referencing police reports that accused Iversen of 'bragging' about 'getting away with killing an 11-year-old.'  Iversen spoke up during the testimony to deny the allegation before he shouted, 'Stop lying on my name!'  Judge Shereen Askalani then reprimanded him and said he would have an opportunity to speak later.  Lilyana's family said Iversen should not have been driving and advocated for a longer sentence.  Lilyana's family pushed for a longer sentence. Her uncle recalled the heart-wrenching moments in court when he was informed of the pre-teen's death  Lilyana's grandmother mourned the moments their family will not get to have with the pre-teen in an emotional testimony  'The defense speaks in months. We measure time in milestones she [Lilyana] will never reach. They negotiate numbers,' Lilyana's grandmother said.  'We sit with an empty room and an urn that now rests on top a handcrafted cabinet, a small monument to our forever 11-year-old.' She protested against the notion that the car crash was an accident, blasting Iversen for a 'series of conscious choices.'  'He chose to be on Snapchat while driving. He chose to speed. He chose to drive erratically. He chose to blow through a four-way stop,' she continued. 'He chose to ignore the safety of every other family on that road. Those were not mistakes. They were decisions – repeated, reckless, indifferent decisions.' The responding officer, Jonathan Howes, gave emotional testimony on the aftermath of the crash, admitting that he left law enforcement due to post-traumatic stress disorder from it.  'The scene felt surreal; felt like something out of a movie. I'd never witnessed such chaos and such sheer fear in people. I can still hear Lily's father, Eric, yelling at me to help his daughter,' he recalled.  'I've been present at a lot of child death scenes throughout my career, but nothing has affected me more than this,' Howes continued. 'After finishing my shift that day, I went home, I held my daughters, and just cried.' Iversen, pictured above during his sentencing hearing, apologized to the family in court after a brief outburst  Lilyana was described by her family as a 'beacon of sunshine' who had an 'infectious' smile and a 'generous spirit'  Lilyana was described by her family as a 'beacon of sunshine' in an online fundraiser.  'Her smile was infectious and her giving nature and generous spirit was felt by all around her. Lily was the heartbeat of the family,' the description continued.  Iversen has received credit for the time he has served since his arrest last July. He will serve a total of 44 months, including supervised release.  His attorney agreed with the sentence, citing Iversen's mental health issues. He spoke during the hearing and apologized to Lilyana's family.  'I'm sorry for this unfortunate accident that should never have happened. I know that words can't do any justice,' he added.  'However, I want the family to know that right after the accident, I prayed to Jesus that everyone would be OK.'  The comments below have not been moderated. The views expressed in the contents above are those of our users and do not necessarily reflect the views of MailOnline. By posting your comment you agree to our house rules. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual. Do you want to automatically post your MailOnline comments to your Facebook Timeline? Your comment will be posted to MailOnline as usual We will automatically post your comment and a link to the news story to your Facebook timeline at the same time it is posted on MailOnline. To do this we will link your MailOnline account with your Facebook account. We’ll ask you to confirm this for your first post to Facebook. 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