Minnesota ax murderer who killed own family in 1988 gets early release under law supported by Gov Tim Walz

A Minnesota man convicted of killing his parents and younger siblings with an ax when he was a teen in 1988 has been released early under a law that Gov. Tim Walz backed.

David Brom, now 53, had been assigned to work release as of July 29, according to online records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Brom was 16 years old when he killed his mother Paulette, his father Bernard, his younger sister Diane and younger brother Richard at their home in Rochester, Minnesota. Investigators found all four victims suffered multiple gash wounds to their heads and upper bodies from an ax.

Brom pleaded not guilty due to mental illness, but a jury found him guilty of the murders. He was sentenced to three consecutive life sentences and one concurrent life sentence. He would have been eligible for parole after 52 years in 2037.

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Brom, however, became eligible for parole after a new Minnesota law went into effect, ending life sentences for offenders convicted as children.

Walz, who failed in his bid for the White House as former Vice President Kamala Harris’ running mate, signed the legislation into law in 2023.

The legislation applies retroactively, allowing most individuals already serving sentences to appear before a Supervised Release Board after serving 15, 20, or 30 years, depending on the severity and nature of the original sentence.

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Brom became retroactively eligible for release as of 2018. In January, Supervised Release Board members voted 5-1 on a plan that would allow Brom  a work release, FOX9 Minneapolis reported.

Brom will be transferred to a Twin Cities halfway house and remain under supervision and GPS monitoring, a department of corrections spokesperson told the outlet.

The Supervised Release Board will review Brom’s case again in January.