Brainerd Man Charged After Allegedly Killing Daughter’s Boyfriend

(KNSI) — A 43-year-old man is facing second-degree murder charges after prosecutors say he shot his daughter’s boyfriend because he thought he was abusing her.

According to the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office, they took a report of a missing person on October 28th after a woman said her boyfriend, 23-year-old Bryce Brogle, told her he was going to a storage unit rented by her father on October 26th and never came back. The criminal complaint says an anonymous tipster went to the police after having a conversation with a family member of Michael Laflex. That family member told them Laflex laid out the details of what happened, starting with suspicions that Brogle was abusing his daughter. Laflex is accused of shooting Brogle at the storage unit and then burying him. Investigators searched the storage locker and found evidence suggesting Brogle was killed there and that someone tried to clean it up with bleach. Brogle’s body was recovered on October 30th from a grave police say Laflex dug.

The criminal complaint says Laflex called the landlord who managed the apartment where his daughter lived with Brogle. The landlord allegedly told Laflex he had seen his daughter with two black eyes. Laflex told the landlord he would kill Brogle and had already dug the hole.

Investigators say Laflex told them Brogle was arrested, but he didn’t know by whom. He said Brogle had two cell phones which were confiscated during the arrest. He later said he took the phones and dumped them in a garbage can at a Brainerd gas station. Police recovered the phones.

Laflex is charged with second-degree murder with intent. He will make his first court appearance Tuesday.

___