Kle Swee sentenced to 25+ years for killing hockey coach Michael Brasel
ST. PAUL, Minn. — The teenager who shot and killed a beloved St. Paul hockey coach will now spend the next 25-and-a-half years in prison.
A Ramsey County Judge sentenced 17-year-old Kle Swee on Oct. 4 for shooting and killing Michael Brasel in front of his St. Paul home in May.
It happened as Swee and a group of others were breaking into cars. Brasel, a husband and father of two boys, had gone out to confront the group.
RELATED: Ta Mla, 18, pleads guilty to role in murder of St. Paul hockey coach Michael Brasel
Swee has since pleaded guilty to the crime.
Every seat on the side of the courtroom with Brasel's family and friends was full for the sentencing.
More than a dozen loved ones got their chance to share with the court just exactly how much of an impact the murder of the Twin Cities native is continuing to have.
Brasel's loved ones described his heart for others. He was a carpenter who worked on historic homes in the St. Paul area. But also a youth hockey coach in both Roseville and Langford Park for the last seven years. Someone who had an impact on a countless number of young lives.
"He was not just a coach to me. He was a true friend," Gretchen Hopeman said. "To me and my husband and my family, I knew what no matter what challenges I faced, Michael would be there offering guidance, support, and a listening ear."
The court described the morning of May 6, when Swee and a group of friends were breaking into cars in St. Paul, allegedly looking for items to steal.
Brasel attempted to stop the robbery as it happened before he was shot.
"I did not lose my brother — he was taken," Michael's brother, Christopher, said. "My brother was not sick. He did not make decisions that put him in danger. He was murdered. He was taken away from the people he loved and who loved him."
More than a dozen people signed up to speak about the legacy Brasel leaves — his friends and family, including his wife.
"I no longer have my soulmate and the man I have loved for 23 years," Hilary Brasel said. "Michael was my compass for life and I feel lost without him."
When he got a chance to address the court, Swee apologized and said that he plans to spend the time in prison working towards earning a degree, and one day, working to help kids from falling into the same path he took.
As hockey season begins, Hilary Brasel said his players will wear helmet stickers with Michael's initials.
She said she's hopeful in wearing those stickers, players will remember the lessons he left with them.
A second suspect, Ta Mla, pleaded guilty in early November to aiding and abetting second-degree murder in connection with Brasel's death. His sentencing date is set for Dec. 14.
