Woman, 22, charged in fatal hit-and-run that killed University of St. Thomas student

A 22-year-old woman is accused of fatally striking a University of St. Thomas Student with the vehicle she was driving in northeast Minneapolis last month before leaving the scene, according to court documents.

Gabryella Liebgott of St. Paul, Minnesota, is charged with two counts of criminal vehicular homicide in the March 22 hit-and-run crash.

The criminal complaint said the collision at 1623 Marshall St. NE was reported around 3:07 a.m. Responding officers found a 22-year-old woman, later identified by family as Seham Hassen, lying in the street with critical injuries. She was taken to the hospital where she later died. 

Hassen was hit "with such force that remnants of her clothing were torn from her body and were scattered in the street," according to court documents.

Investigators obtained video of the crash that was captured by a Tesla, the complaint said. It showed Hassen and two other women leaving a vehicle parked on the side of Marshall Street Northeast. One of the women crossed the street, followed by the other woman. 

The video then showed Hassen appearing to turn away from the road as a vehicle, later identified as a sedan, "entered the frame, veering toward the shoulder" where she was standing, according to the complaint. Hassen tried to get out of the way of the oncoming car but was unable. 

Per the court document, the motorist, later identified as Liebgott, struck Hassen with her vehicle before abruptly turning back into the driving lane of the street. She then sped away from the scene. 

Law enforcement used numerous cameras throughout Minneapolis and St. Paul to recreate the path of the sedan, but was unable to positively identify it, the complaint said. Police released photos of the car, hoping the public could provide a positive identification.

Investigators found the sedan after the Washington County Sheriff's Office told them on March 30 that it believed the vehicle was at an auto shop, according to court documents. It was towed to a Minneapolis police garage where swabs of "apparent blood" were collected from the outside of it as well as fabric fibers consistent with the dress Hassen was wearing at the time of the crash.

The complaint said police interviewed the owner of the auto shop, who said a woman named Gabby dropped off the sedan sometime between March 24 and March 25 for a vinyl wrap. The owner said Gabby wanted a vinyl wrap but also wanted the vehicle to be "stored at the shop for a period of time."

"The shop owner was told the vehicle was damaged but the customer was ordering parts to complete repairs at a later date," the court document said.

Investigators identified Gabby as Liebgott after looking at surveillance images of her driving the sedan into the shop and learned she is related to the registered owner of the vehicle. Court documents said she provided the shop owner with her phone number but never called back to check on the status of the vehicle.

Police found during their investigation that the sedan was parked near the Minneapolis VFW on Lyndale Avenue early on March 22, per the complaint. Investigators contacted the establishment and learned Liebgott was there with two other women. Both of the women told law enforcement Liebgott was "the only one driving" that night and one of the women said they were all drinking alcohol.

One of the women told police she was drunk in the back seat of the sedan, slipping in and out of sleep and was "startled awake" by a crash on Marshall Street Northeast, court documents said. She saw people rushing into the road and asked Liebgott if she had hit something. Liebgott allegedly admitted to the woman that she did.

Liebgott was arrested on Friday. Court records show Liebgott pleaded guilty in 2022 to speeding and possessing an open bottle in an open vehicle.

If convicted, Liebgott faces up to 20 years in prison and a maximum fine of $40,000.

NOTE: The attached video first aired on March 28.