Request to Suppress Cellphone Data Discussed in Murder Case Against Michael Lee LaFlex

Accident – Death – Obituary News : BRAINERD — A request to suppress cellphone data in the criminal case against a 45-year-old Center Township man accused of murdering his daughter’s boyfriend was discussed in court on Wednesday, Nov. 22. Michael Lee LaFlex is facing charges of first-degree premeditated murder and second-degree felony murder. The charges carry potential maximum penalties of life imprisonment and 40 years, respectively.

LaFlex appeared in person before Judge Charles Halverson in Crow Wing County District Court in Brainerd. His public defender, Mark Hansen, submitted a motion on Oct. 4 to suppress LaFlex’s cellphone data, arguing that it was unlawfully seized, in violation of LaFlex’s Fourth Amendment rights. The motion also requested the suppression of any evidence obtained as a result of the illegal seizure, known as the “fruit of the poisonous tree” doctrine.

In response, Crow Wing County Attorney Don Ryan called Lieutenant D.J. Downie of the Crow Wing County Sheriff’s Office to the stand to testify about the seizure of the cellphone. Downie informed the court that he seized the cellphone after discovering that LaFlex had been lying to him. The phone was taken to protect the data, and a search warrant was obtained before any data was collected. After hearing Downie’s testimony, Judge Halverson ordered both Ryan and Hansen to submit briefs on the matter to the court by Dec. 18.

LaFlex remains in custody at the Crow Wing County Jail and is expected to appear in Crow Wing County District Court on May 30. In November 2022, LaFlex was initially charged with second-degree murder with intent but not premeditation. However, on March 30, 2023, a grand jury indicted him on charges of first-degree murder.

According to the criminal complaint filed by the Crow Wing County Attorney’s Office, 23-year-old Bryce Brogle was reported missing on Oct. 28, 2022, after visiting a storage unit rented by LaFlex two days earlier. During the investigation, LaFlex initially claimed that Brogle had been arrested by unknown officers and that his cellphones had been confiscated. However, LaFlex later changed his story, stating that he had disposed of the phones in a garbage can at a gas station in Brainerd. Law enforcement officers were able to locate the phones.

Further investigation included information provided by an anonymous concerned citizen who had occasional conversations with a family member of LaFlex on the evening of Oct. 29, 2022. According to the citizen, LaFlex disclosed details of the incident, including his belief that Brogle was abusing LaFlex’s daughter. The family member learned from LaFlex that he had shot Brogle at a storage unit complex in Crow Wing County on or around Oct. 26, 2022, and had moved the body using a sled. LaFlex allegedly cleaned the storage unit with bleach and informed the family member that the body had been disposed of and would not be found as it had been buried.

Law enforcement executed a search warrant at LaFlex’s storage unit on Oct. 29, 2022, and discovered a substance on the floor that tested positive for blood, along with a bottle of bleach. Marks on the concrete floor indicated that a sled had been dragged across it. A foot search of public land in Crow Wing County on Oct. 30, 2022, led to the identification and excavation of a possible gravesite. The body found at the site, later confirmed to be Brogle’s, had suffered a gunshot wound to the back of the head.

The case against LaFlex continues to unfold, with the suppression of his cellphone data being a key point of contention in court. The outcome of this request will likely have a significant impact on the evidence that can be used against him in the trial..