Quadruple Axe Murderer To Be Freed From Prison Under Tim Walz Law

A man who axed his parents, brother and sister to death in Minnesota when he was 16 is set for supervised release under a juvenile sentencing law signed by Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz.

David Brom, now 53, is scheduled to move to a halfway house for a work release program on July 29 after receiving four murder convictions and three life sentences for the 1988 killings in Rochester, according to multiple reports and prison records. Walz abolished life sentences without the possibility of early release for juvenile offenders in 2023, prompting criticism from more tough-on-crime Republicans now that Brom is set to reenter the community. (RELATED: AG Racks Up 23 Lawsuits Against Trump Admin While State Struggles To Curb BLM-Era Crime Spike)

House Speaker @LisaDemuthMN releases statement on the announced release of ax murderer David Brom, who received three life sentences after murdering his parents and younger siblings in Rochester, MN. 👇 pic.twitter.com/Da22wvLuy1

— MN House Republicans (@mnhousegop) July 17, 2025

“We must prioritize public safety over leniency for violent criminals,” Republican Minnesota House Speaker Lisa Demuth said in a statement posted on X Thursday by Minnesota House Republicans. “The legislature must act to ensure that our laws reflect the seriousness of such unimaginable crimes.”

Walz’s office did not respond to a request for comment from the Daily Caller News Foundation. The governor and failed vice presidential candidate passed the sentencing law authored by Democrats in May 2023, allowing possible early release for convicts who committed crimes while they were minors after serving 15 years of their sentences. The juvenile policy initially had some support across party lines, but it became part of an omnibus legislative package that no Republicans voted for.

Brom, who is still incarcerated, could not be reached directly. He will be subject to supervision and GPS monitoring upon his release as he searches for employment, KTTC and The Minnesota Star-Tribune reported. The state has reportedly denied Brom parole to date, though Walz’s law makes him eligible.

The convict told a state supervised release board in January that he dealt with depression at the time he murdered his family members in their home, that he is sorry for the killings and that he now has the “emotional maturity” to live a new life, KTTC reported.

Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson, who investigated the case and found the victims’ bodies in 1988, said in a Thursday video that Brom’s “selfish, immature 16-year-old actions” robbed his two younger siblings of life. Brom’s sister and brother were 13 and 11, respectively, at the time of their murders.

“I cannot stop what is already in motion, and I, we, as the public must trust the parole board’s decision and have to hope Mr. Brom is ready for this transition in his life,” Torgerson said about Brom’s coming release. “I’m very pleased to hear that, but it is still hard for me to accept and forget the sights and smells of what I saw that Thursday evening in 1988.”

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