David Brom was a sixteen year old from Minnesota when he would murder his entire family
According to court documents police in the area would head to the Brom household after hearing rumors that something horrific had taken place. When police arrived they would find the bodies of two adults and two children.
Apparently after getting into an argument with his father David Brom would wait until his father was asleep then murder him and his mother. While leaving the home David Brom would come across his younger siblings and would murder both of them
David Brom would be arrested, convicted and sentenced to multiple life sentences
David Brom Photos
David Brom Now
MNDOC Offender ID:
146854
Name:
David Francis Brom
Birth Date:
10/03/1971
Current Status:
Incarcerated as of 10/16/1989. Currently at MCF St. Cloud.
Sentence Date:
10/16/1989
Anticipated Release Date:
Life –
Expiration Date:
Life
David Brom Murder Anniversary
Sunday marks a dark anniversary in the city of Rochester. David Brom brutally murdered his dad, mom, brother and sister with an ax in their home on the outskirts of Rochester 30 years ago.
Olmsted County Sheriff Kevin Torgerson was a deputy at the time and first on the scene. When he reflects on his 34-year career in law enforcement, there are countless cases he can recall, but undoubtedly none compare to February 18, 1988.
“All I knew was that there was something wrong, and all I remember of the call was that David Brom had made some kind of threat to his dad,” Torgerson said.
Bernard and Paulette Brom had what looked like the American dream, a nice home on the northwest side of Rochester, four children: Joe, 19, David, 16, Diane, 13, and Ricky, 9. They were actively involved in their church, and from the outside, the Broms looked to be a typical middle-class family. However, David had a dark side, just how dark, not even his family knew.
“It was just my circumstances that day to take that call and stuff happens,” Torgerson said.
At the time, Torgerson had only been in law enforcement for four years, only two in the city of Rochester, when he was dispatched on a call to do a welfare check at the Brom home.
“I knew which house it was, but that I was just going to wait for my backup. We were losing daylight at the time, 5:23 p.m. – I think about that time – 6:00 it’s getting pretty dark, so I got out, and I waited he got out his car and I said well here is what I got, told him the stuff I already knew. announced ourselves ‘sheriff’s office’ and of course, nobody answered,” Torgerson said. “At this point with no one responding, that was the point where really it just … now we got a bad deal here.”
Torgerson goes on to explain going heading to the bedrooms upstairs.
“And when I got to the top of the step, and where I could see up on the floor, then that’s when I saw what turned out to be both females, their feet laying there,” Torgerson said. “And I whispered then to my partner, ‘we’ve got two bodies up here,’ two females, did a quick peek and I remember looking left, it was quite a sight.”
You can hear in his voice, the trained law enforcement officer’s description of just the facts until he gets to the last bedroom.
“So I walked in further and then I got in just to the corner of that little entry of what was Ricky’s room, and he was laying in bed in a fetal position, and again, massive injury to his head, multiple other injuries across his body, and he’s laying there clutching a little blanket.”
In the days that followed, Torgerson and his wife left for an anniversary getaway, the weight of what was inside that house was heavy. However. for whatever reason, Torgerson said he is able to not let crime scenes haunt or burden him, even the one at the Brom house,
“It was just my circumstances that day to take that call, and stuff happens. you know, whatever it was, it was I was able to find a way to get through it,” he said.
And while he would forever carry with him the images from inside the Brom house that night, they are just that, memories.
“You know I can’t get stuck in that place.”
Joe Brom, the oldest of the children was 19 years old at the time and did not live at home. He ended up moving to New York and became a philosophy teacher. He died two years ago from cancer.
As for David Brom, he remains in the St. Cloud Correctional Facility serving time until he is approximately 70 years old when he will be eligible for parole in 2041.
https://www.kaaltv.com/news/rochester-minnesota-david-brom-family-ax-murder/4790899/
David Brom Links
Saturday marks 35 years since Brom family murders
David Brom murders – 30th Anniversary of Mass Slaying in Rochester, MN – Video
The Teen Who Murdered His Parents. – Video
Minnesota House of Horrors | – Video
David Brom Release
A Minnesota man convicted of murdering his parents and younger siblings with an ax in 1988 at the age of 16, who was sentenced to life in prison for the heinous crime, is now slated to be released from prison later this month.
What we know:
Minnesota Department of Corrections court records show David Brom, now 53, is slated to be released from prison in Lino Lakes on July 29.
Brom has served more than 35 years behind bars in his parents’ murder. FOX 9 has reached out to the Department of Corrections for more information about the decision. However, at a parole hearing in January, board members approved, on a 5-1 vote, a plan that would allow Brom to be granted work release as he continues his “step down” towards release.
The backstory:
Brom was convicted by a jury in the slaying of his mother Paulette, his father Bernard, his younger sister Diane, and his younger brother Richard in Rochester, Minn.
All four bodies were discovered at the Brom household by Olmsted County deputies on the evening of Feb. 18, 1988. Deputies had responded after a friend reported to police that Brom had called him, saying he’d killed his family.
Investigators found all four victims with numerous gashes to the heads and upper body from an ax. David Brom was arrested the following day.
The other side:
Brom pleaded not guilty by reason of mental illness. At trial, four psychiatrists testified for the prosecution, with two finding Brom was not legally insane at the time of the crime. The defense presented a psychiatrist that found Brom didn’t understand that killing his parents and siblings was wrong. All the psychiatrists agreed Brom suffered from some form of mental health issues, however.
A jury ultimately found Brom guilty in the murders, and he was sentenced to consecutive life sentences.
New Minnesota law
Big picture view:
A Minnesota law that went into effect last year ended life sentences for offenders convicted as children.
The law allows juvenile offenders sentenced to life to be fully eligible for parole after 15 years behind bars. Brom’s move towards release is a result of that law change.
Brom granted work release
Local perspective:
Brom appeared in front of the Supervised Release Board in January. During the hearing, board members explained Brom had been slowly working his way towards release from prison.
Board members indicated Brom had shown change behind bars, with a long record of good behavior and growth as an inmate. A friend who has known Brom since 1991 also spoke out in support of his release, saying he’s witness Brom change from a troubled young man to a model inmate.
Ultimately, board members denied Brom parole but approved a plan allowing him to be granted work release this year with Brom returning for another parole hearing next year.
David Brom in his own words
What they’re saying:
Brom spoke with board members in January as they debated his path forward. During the hearing, Brom explained his growth while incarcerated and apologized for the horrors he committed.
Change as an inmate
Brom: “I’ve kind of spent my time – the best that I can – to change the things about my life that led me to the despair, and the decisions that I made, and the actions that I took, the crimes that I committed. I’ve tried to change everything that I could about myself, and I believe that through the help of staff, programs, the support system I have in my life. I’m a good example of what a transformation can look like in a person’s life through the Department of Corrections. I think that I’ve demonstrated consistency in that progress and in that maturing and growth and I believe that I’m ready for parole.”
Brom apologizes
Brom: “I’d just like to apologize to the family and friends of Bernard, Paulette, Diane and Richard. I caused tremendous loss in their lives, incredible grief and pain and left them with confusion and unanswered questions. And I apologize for that loss, for that grief, for the murders that I committed and the effect that it had on their life. I’d also like to apologize to the courts, the court officials, the sheriffs, who just as a matter of the service that they provide to their community, that they were a witness to the crimes that I committed. I apologize for the impact that that had on their lives. And lastly, to the neighborhood. To the church we attended, the schools we were enrolled in, and the community of Rochester. I apologize for the ripple effects of losing an entire family in such a horrific way.”
What led to the murders
David Brom: “To give an idea of what leads a person to commit the murders that I did. I struggled with depression for some time and it had clouded my thoughts, and it clouded my ability to process things. And I had grown to a short-sighted view that I thought these things were going to last forever, and I knew I couldn’t live that way forever and in the cloud of depression, and I started to believe that other people were at fault. For the way I felt and, unfortunately, that fault I placed on my parents and my family because I was often more depressed at home than I was in other areas of life.”
Managing challenges moving forward
David Brom: “I believe I have a level of emotional maturity now in order to deal with and recognize what I’m feeling and to work through those emotions. And when that becomes a challenge to me, I have very strong support system. And so I rely on the advice, counsel, and help of other people that are in my life. They can usually speak to me in a way that’s helpful. And going forward, I also know that I have resources in the community that are available to me that I can reach out to. I’m working with a couple of peer recovery specialists and things of that nature. Lastly, I’ll also have, when there are challenges that I face, I know I have a parole officer that I can turn to for help.”
David Brom also expressed support for continuing with psychological counseling upon his release.
He is scheduled to be released from Lino Lakes prison on July 29.
David Brom Release Update – July 29 2025
https://www.fox9.com/news/minnesota-ax-murderer-david-brom-slated-release-from-prison
A man who murdered his entire family with an axe when he was 16 years old was released from a Minnesota prison overnight after serving 35 years of three life sentences.
KARE 11 was told by a guard at the Minnesota Correctional Facility (MCF)-Lino Lakes that David Brom left the facility during the overnight hours. A Department of Corrections spokesperson said last week that Brom will live at an unnamed Twin Cities halfway house while on work release. He will be monitored using a GPS bracelet and receive ongoing case management
Brom, who is now 53, took the lives of his father, mother, sister and brother inside their Rochester home back in 1988. He pleaded not guilty by reason of insanity, but was convicted on four counts of first-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison.
Brom used a law passed in 2023 to secure his release from the Minnesota Correctional Facility at Lino Lakes. The law was designed to give individuals sentenced to life imprisonment as juveniles the opportunity to appear before a Supervised Release Board and present evidence of personal growth and rehabilitation after they have served 15 years.
Among other criteria, the board evaluates the person’s behavior while incarcerated, reviews psychological assessments and weighs statements from victims or their families.
During a meeting with the board in January, Brom said he has spent his time in prison working to change the things about his life that led to “the decisions that I made” and that he believes himself a “good example of what a transformation can look like.”
He also apologized to the family and friends of the people he killed, as well as to the community of Rochester.
While she couldn’t provide specifics about Brom’s case, DOC spokesperson Shannon Loehrke did share on Monday that individuals out on release are required to work or go to school full-time, develop a work release plan with their case worker, and meet regularly to review whether progress is being made.
Brom, like all inmates out on release, must adhere to a strict schedule and all aspects of their release plans. Any deviation from those approved plans or schedules may result in that individual being sent back to prison.
According to data from the Minnesota Department of Corrections, 23 individuals convicted as juveniles had parole hearings under the law last year. Four of them were granted parole, and 19 were denied.
“I hope that it gives people in prison the realization that they may have a light at the end of the tunnel. That’s important for how people live their lives, even if they never get released; to know that there’s a chance,” Rachel Moran, a professor and founder of the Criminal and Juvenile Defense Clinic at the University of St. Thomas School of Law, told KARE 11 when Brom’s pending release was announced. “And, I hope that some of these folks get out and can show that they’re ready to contribute to society in ways they’ve been wanting to do for many years and haven’t had the chance.”
Olmstead County Sheriff Kevin E. Torgerson is taking a wait-and-see approach to Brom’s release, maintaining that the convicted killer is “benefiting from leniency.”
“I cannot stop what is already in motion… we, as the public, must trust the parole board’s decision and must hope Mr. Brom is ready for this transition in his life,” Sheriff Torgerson reflected in a news release. “… it is still hard for me to accept and forget the sights and smells of what I saw that Thursday evening in 1988.”
