Minnesota axe murderer sentenced to life set to be released under new law passed by DFL trifecta

A convicted axe murderer who killed four members of his family, including his parents and two siblings, is set to be released from prison despite his life sentence, all because of a new Minnesota law passed during the 2023 DFL trifecta.

David Francis Brom, 53, has been incarcerated since 1989, just days after he turned 18 years old.

Brom committed the grisly murders of his family members in Rochester, Minn., in February 1988, when he was just 16 years old. At the time of his sentencing, Judge Ancy Morse sentenced Brom to three consecutive life terms, and ordered the fourth life sentence in the murder of Brom’s 14-year-old sister, Diane, to run concurrently to the life sentence in the murder of Brom’s 10-year-old brother, Ricky.

In 2023, the Democrat-controlled legislature passed a law, chief authored by Rep. Sandra Feist, DFL-New Brighton, banning life in prison for juvenile offenders, which was signed into law by Gov. Tim Walz. The law went into effect retroactively, meaning it would also apply to people previously convicted as juveniles and serving sentences over 15 years, making Brom now eligible for parole.

According to the Minnesota Department of Corrections (MNDOC) website, Brom is scheduled for release from prison later this month.

Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, who was one of the first officers to respond to the murder scene at the time, weighed in on the pending release in a video posted to the sheriff’s social media pages on Wednesday.

Sheriff Torgerson recounted the sentencing of Brom and how many in the community felt justice was not served with the concurrent sentence given for Diane’s murder. Torgerson went on to say that Brom’s release from prison on parole under the new law leaves him “benefitting from leniency twice,” following the murder of his family members.

Brom has reportedly made progress in prison in understanding the seriousness of his crimes and has apologized to those involved, Torgerson said, adding that he hopes Brom is ready for the transition.

Minnesota State Rep. Paul Novotny, R-Elk River, chair of the House Public Safety Committee, released a statement in response to the news of Brom’s pending release:

“You may have seen the news reports that David Brom is scheduled to be released from prison later this month. Brom was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences for the brutal murder of his entire family in 1988. His crime was so heinous, so senseless, that he should never be released.

Yet under a 2023 law passed entirely by Democrats—the DFL-controlled House, Senate, and Governor’s office—violent offenders like Brom who committed their crimes as juveniles and received consecutive life sentences are now eligible for release after just 30 years. This provision was part of the 2023 Public Safety and Judiciary Omnibus bill (Chapter 52, Article 18), which received zero Republican votes.

Let me be absolutely clear: this release is on the Walz Administration and the Democrat majorities in the legislature. Republicans fought against this provision because we believe that victims and public safety must come first—not violent offenders.

We respect the rule of law, but laws that allow a family murderer to walk free after three decades are fundamentally broken. The people of Minnesota deserve better—and I will continue fighting to restore common sense and accountability to our justice system.”

Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth, R-Cold Spring, also released a statement expressing concern:

“The early release of convicted ax murderer David Brom is an unacceptable consequence of the new law passed by Democrats last biennium and signed by Governor Walz, which allows the early release of violent offenders and makes our communities less safe. Now, even a man convicted of brutally murdering his entire family is allowed to go free after just 35 years.

This is not justice being served, it is an insult to the memory of his victims. Some crimes are so horrific that real accountability—serving his entire sentence—should be the only option. We must prioritize public safety over leniency for violent criminals. The legislature must act to ensure that our laws reflect the seriousness of such unimaginable crimes.”

Alpha News reached out to the Minnesota DOC for comment in response to Sheriff Torgerson’s comments on the release and received the following statement by Commissioner Paul Schnell:

“I have great respect for Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, and his comments regarding David Brom’s transition to work release are both understandable and balanced. The Supervised Release Board is required by law to consider a broad range of factors when reviewing those eligible for parole release. Brom’s planned transfer to work release is part of the typical step-down process to test an individual’s readiness and ability to manage transition to parole. It is important to note that David Brom has not been paroled and will be seen by the board again in January at which time the board will consider his readiness for release on parole.”

The DOC also sent clarifying information about Brom’s release process, in that he would transition to a monitored community setting as part of the step-down process toward possible release on parole. Brom will transition to a Twin Cities halfway house at the end of July, where he will receive case management and supervision services, including GPS monitoring. Those on work release are on facility custody status versus a parole or community supervision status, the DOC said, also noting that Brom will not return to the Olmsted County community during his work release or parole.

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Minnesota Crime Watch & Information publishes news, info and commentary about crime, public safety and livability issues in Minneapolis, the Twin Cities and Greater Minnesota.

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