Michael Lee Laflex: Minnesota dad, 45, arrested after he shot dead daughter's boyfriend for suspected abuse
Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some readers. Discretion advised
BRAINERD, MINNESOTA: A 45-year-old man has reportedly been arrested in Minnesota by law enforcement for fatally shooting his daughter's boyfriend, whom he suspected of abusing her. According to reports, Micheal Lee Laflex, a resident of Brainerd, had already "dug a grave" to bury his daughter's boyfriend Bryce Brogle, 23, thinking that "his body would not be found".
Brogle was reported missing on October 28, 2022, by Cordelia Laflex, Micheal's daughter. She told cops that she had not heard from Brogle since he went to a storage unit with her father two days earlier on October 26, according to the criminal complaint. Micheal has been charged with second-degree intentional homicide in the death of Brogle, whose body was discovered on October 30, according to the New York Post.
READ MORE:
John Eisenman: Dad kills daughter's boyfriend who sold her to sex racket, hailed hero
Erica Hoy: Young actress killed in horror car crash in front of boyfriend and twin sister
Micheal had reportedly fatally shot Brogle in the head the day he went missing at his storage complex located in Crow Wing County. The criminal complaint states that during the investigation, Micheal initially told law enforcement that Brogle had been arrested by some unknown law enforcement and that his two cell phones were also confiscated. Later, he changed his statement and said he had disposed of them in the garbage can at a gas station in Brainerd. The phones were later located by the officials.
A family member allegedly told a concerned citizen identified by law enforcement that Laflex admitted to shooting Brogle at the storage unit and moving his body with a sled, saying that he “would not be found.”
A probable cause statement filed on November 1, seen by the New York Post, stated, "Investigators detailed a phone call from an anonymous concerned citizen who reported that Laflex previously told a relative that he believed Brogle was abusing his daughter."
On October 29, law enforcement searched Michael's rented unit where they found evidence on concrete that tested positive for blood, and a bottle of bleach was recovered. There were also marks on the concrete floor of the storage unit that appeared consistent with something being dragged across
the floor in a similar width to a sled.
According to the criminal complaint, Brogle’s landlord revealed that Michael had recently called him, inquiring whether his tenant has hurt his daughter. The landlord told him that he had seen her with two black eyes, to which Laflex responded that he was going to kill Brogle and “already had the hole dug".
In September 2018, Michael was convicted of fourth-degree criminal sexual conduct with a victim who was mentally impaired or otherwise helpless.