Ta Mla, 18, sentenced to 15 years for his role in Michael Brasel's murder
ST. PAUL, Minn. — An 18-year-old man will spend 15 years in prison for his role in the shooting death of a beloved St. Paul hockey coach.
Ta Mla, 18, pleaded guilty last month to aiding and abetting second-degree murder in connection to the May 6 shooting of 44-year-old Michael Brasel, which happened outside his home in the Saint Anthony Park neighborhood. On Thursday, a judge handed down a 180-month sentence, with credit for 192 days served and restitution pending.
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Mla was reportedly with a group that was breaking into cars when Brasel went out to confront them. That's when 17-year-old Kle Swee shot and killed the husband and father of two just feet from his front door.
Cellphone data connected Mla to the group and the scene. He was arrested in June during a traffic stop and was found with a handgun at the time. He later confessed that was the gun used to shoot and kill Brasel.
Mla has said there was a third man with them that day. Mla never identified him, but said he had been asleep in the back seat and woke up after the shooting.
When Swee was sentenced to more than 25 years in October, dozens of Brasel's friends and family spoke at the hearing. His wife, Hilary Brasel, gave a heartwrenching victim impact statement.
"That day I lost my husband, but more importantly I lost my, I lost my best friend. I no longer have my soulmate and the man who had loved me for more than 23 years. I no longer have the man who gave me his last name, gave me my two boys, and the man who was my ultimate version of home," Hilary Brasel said.
Hilary Brasel went on to speak about how the loss of Michael has impacted her family and life, saying that she still has not been able to return to work as a critical care pediatric nurse for fear of making a mistake while navigating this grief. Additionally, she still hasn't received her car back from Ramsey County, and worries how she will continue to provide for her family.
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His brother, Christopher Brasel, also spoke to the crowded courtroom that day.
"I did not lose my brother. He was taken. 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," Christopher Brasel said.
