A 17-year-old male pleaded guilty Wednesday to shooting and killing a St. Paul man outside his home in May, and has agreed to be sentenced as an adult.
Teenager pleads guilty in killing of man who interrupted robbery outside his St. Paul home
Defendant Kle Swee, of St. Paul, pleaded guilty to one of his two counts of second-degree murder as part of a plea deal in the killing of 44-year-old Michael Brasel.
August 31, 2023 at 1:16AM
Defendant Kle Swee of St. Paul pleaded guilty to one of his two counts of second-degree murder as part of a plea deal in the killing of 44-year-old Michael Brasel.
Swee waived his certification proceedings, meaning his case has been moved from juvenile to adult court. Brasel, a father of two boys and a youth hockey coach, was shot outside his St. Anthony Park home the morning of May 6.
According to a criminal complaint, 18-year-old defendant Ta Mla told police he was driving around with Swee in the passenger seat looking to steal items from vehicles. Mla said he was going through Brasel's SUV looking for a phone charger when Brasel surprised them and grabbed Mla from behind, the complaint states.
Swee, acting as a lookout, fired and shot Brasel, the complaint alleges.
Attorney information for Swee was not available on the online court records page.
State prosecutors will request a sentence of 25 ½ years in prison, which is the maximum permitted under the plea agreement, Ramsey County Attorney's Office spokesman Dennis Gerhardstein said.
Swee's sentencing is set for Oct. 4 at 9 a.m.
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