歪歪漫画

BRAINERD 鈥� The jury found the 46-year-old Merrifield man accused of murdering his daughter鈥檚 boyfriend guilty of first-degree murder on Wednesday, April 10.

Contributed

At around 2 p.m. and after about two hours of deliberation, Michael Lee LaFlex was found guilty of premeditated murder in the first degree in the killing of Bryce Brogle in October 2022 at a storage facility in Mission Township.

Hearing the verdict, LaFlex sat motionless in his chair as cries could be heard from both sides of the aisle.

On Wednesday morning, before the jury was called for closing arguments, Mark Hansen, LaFlex鈥檚 public defender, and Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan reviewed the jury instructions.

In the instructions, Hansen noted the exclusion of self-defense through defending others.

Ryan said the testimony showed LaFlex was the aggressor and that he agreed with the court's decision to remove it from the jury instructions. Though, Ryan said he was opposed to the court adding the charge of first-degree manslaughter in the heat of passion, but accepted the court's decision.

After the jury was seated, Ryan told the court he would deliver closing arguments for the state.

鈥� 鈥業 already have the hole dug.鈥�

鈥業'm going to kill him.鈥�

鈥業 hid the body and no one will find it鈥� 鈥�

鈥淭hose are the words he spoke,鈥� Ryan said as he pointed to LaFlex.

Ryan told the jury LaFlex continued to tell people, all the way up to Oct. 25, 2022, that he wanted to kill Brogle and had a hole already dug for his body.

鈥淭hat is the definition of premeditation,鈥� Ryan said.

Ryan told the jury this was not a case of failed resources. Many of the witnesses testified to trying to provide LaFlex with community resources that could help.

LaFlex created the idea of his daughter鈥檚 abuse by Brogle in his own mind, Ryan said, and LaFlex became the system to address what he thought was an issue.

Ryan told the jury to go back and watch the body-worn camera footage from Crow Wing County Sheriff鈥檚 Investigator Travis Loeffler and to pay attention to LaFlex's demeanor. He said to pay attention to how LaFlex was calm and controlled in the video while talking to law enforcement.

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The jury was then asked to think about the time it would take to dig that hole. As Ryan estimated 鈥� picking up the body, driving to a wooded area he had never been to before, and finding a spot in the dark 鈥� would leave LaFlex around 34 minutes to dig and fill in a hole.

Ryan estimated LeFlex moved about 2.33 yards of dirt, or 2.3 Bobcat loads to dig the hole. Then moved it all back after putting Brogle in it.

鈥淚n 34 minutes 鈥� NOT possible,鈥� Ryan said.

There was no doubt who killed who, Ryan told the jury, it鈥檚 the 鈥渨hy鈥� they needed to focus on.

Hansen delivered the closing arguments for the defense and asked the jury to remember all the evidence in this long trial.

He said there was no dispute that LaFlex killed Brogle, though not every death is a murder. This was in the heat of the moment, he said.

Hansen told the jury LaFlex welcomed Brogle into his home and helped them get a better car for their adventure.

鈥淗e was doing what he could do to help,鈥� Hansen said.

Hansen asked the jury how much they knew their kids after 18 years, 鈥渄o they need them to tell you anything?鈥� Hansen said a parent just knows when something is wrong.

He told the jury LaFlex was trying to get help, saying, 鈥渉e talked to everyone鈥� about what was going on. Then Hansen asked why the dog walker who found the shoe in the woods never reported finding the hole if it had been there for months.

Think about the words LaFlex heard before committing the crime, Hansen urged the jury.

鈥� 鈥業鈥檒l kill your daughter before she ever goes back to you,鈥� 鈥� Hansen said. 鈥淚t was heat of passion after hearing that.鈥�

He acted after the fact, Hansen said.

鈥淗e鈥檚 not asking to be found innocent, only to be found guilty for what he did,鈥� he said. 鈥淗old him accountable for manslaughter and not for murder.鈥�

In rebuttal, Ryan asked the jury to remember the testimony of Patrick Baker, brother of Michael LaFlex, who said he heard LaFlex say the hole was already dug. Ryan said that even if Brogle was not the nicest person, no argument is worth a bullet in the back of the head.

The evidence supports the pre-planning, Ryan told the jury. And anger does not account for heat of passion.

Following closing arguments and after receiving the instructions, the jury then went to deliberate at about 12:02 p.m. and came back with a verdict at about 2.

Sentencing is scheduled for June 10 in Crow Wing County District Court.