A Minnesota man who murdered four family members in 1988 has been granted early work release after serving 36 years in prison under a law supported by Governor Tim Walz. David Brom, 53, was eligible for release due to a new Minnesota law ending life sentences for offenders convicted as children.
Brom, who was 16 years old when he killed his parents and younger siblings with an ax, had been assigned to work release as of July 29, according to online records from the Minnesota Department of Corrections. The law, signed into law by Governor Walz in 2023, 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.
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. 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. While the law has been praised by some as a step toward justice reform, others argue that it risks public safety by releasing violent offenders before they have served their full sentences.
Prosecutors have called for measures to prevent individuals like Brom from having contact with victims’ families, emphasizing the lasting impact of such crimes on survivors and their loved ones.