Ax murderer David Brom set to be released from Minnesota prison

Tim Harlow, The Minnesota Star Tribune on Jul 17, 2025

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MINNEAPOLIS — A change in state law has opened the way for one of Rochester’s most infamous killers to be released from prison.

David Brom, who was convicted of killing four family members in 1988 with an ax, is set to be released later this month, according to the Minnesota Department of Corrections.

Brom, who was 16 at the time of the crimes, is being held in Lino Lakes prison.

But after more than 35 years behind bars, Brom is expected to be released on July 29 and transition to a halfway house in the Twin Cities. He will be on work release and subject to supervision and GPS monitoring, according to the Corrections Department.

Generally, when individuals are released from prison, they return to the county of their conviction — Olmsted County in this case. In Brom’s last Supervised Release Board hearing, it was decided he will not return to the vicinity of Olmsted County for work release or any potential future parole release, the Corrections Department said in an email to the Minnesota Star Tribune.

Brom’s next appearance before the board is scheduled for January 2026.

Brom, now 53, was convicted of using an ax to kill his father, Bernard; his mother, Paulette; younger sister, Diane; and younger brother, Richard. At the time, the judge presiding over the case sentenced Brom to three life sentences requiring he serve 17 1/2 years on each charge.

The Legislature in 2023 reduced the minimum time for imprisonment for offenders under 18 who were given life sentences, making Brom eligible for parole.

The news of Brom’s upcoming release brings back the horror of that day for Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson.

Torgerson went to the Brom residence north of Rochester after the school David Brom attended raised concerns that the teen had harmed his father. Torgerson arrived to find the grisly scene.

“It is still hard for me to accept and forget the sights and smells of what I saw that Thursday evening in 1988,” Torgerson said in a video posted on Facebook. “I, we as the public, must trust the parole board’s decision and must hope Mr. Brom is ready for this transition in his life.”

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