The Broken Arrow Killings
On the evening of July 22nd, 2015, the most sinister murder case in the town of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma would take place. Five out of nine members in the Bever family would lose their lives to a cruel act of evil, but to make matters worse, it was carried out by their own loved ones.
**TRIGGER WARNING** This article contains violence and murder against children.
The Bever family consisted of parents April Bever (45), David Bever (54), and their seven children, Robert (19), Michael (16), Crystal (13), Daniel (12), Christopher (6), Victoria (5), and Autumn (2).
The Details
The murders were carried out by the two eldest sons, Robert and Michael. The boys claimed that their mother and father were both abusive towards them, their father being the worst by inflicting physical abuse. One of the surviving sisters, Crystal, testified that their father was abusive, but not their mother. They also stated that they were all homeschooled and were never allowed to go anywhere to meet anyone and they didn’t have any friends. The two talked often during the late nights and eventually they discovered that they both shared a secret interest in wanting to kill their entire family. This fantasy began to get worse over time, and they bonded over their obsession with mass murderers, serial killers, Columbine and the Aurora Colorado Theatre killings. Neighbors also stated that the parents kept them so isolated, they were never allowed to talk to them or any other neighborhood children, and they didn’t even know the names of most of the family until it was released by the press.
During Robert’s confession, he said his parents would talk often about people they hated and would refer to the biblical Armageddon as “a retribution for everything they hated about the world.” He also said that he and his brother planned this murder spree for a long time, and wanted to go on a shooting spree outside of the family in hopes that their body count would outdo the 1999 Columbine murders. Their plan was to steal their parents car, shoot and kill five people at each random location they went to, and achieve a body count of at least fifty people. Then, if things were going really well for them, they planned to leave Oklahoma and continue their shooting spree in other states, achieving a body count of at least 500. They also planned to dismember their family members’ bodies and store them in bins in their attic.
How It Happened
Shortly before 11:30PM Robert and Michael were in their bedroom talking and using their computer when their sister, Crystal, knocked on their door to tell them that their mother wanted them to help her with the dishes. They decided at that moment that it was time to strike, and told Crystal to come in because they wanted to show her something on the computer. As she came closer, Robert grabbed her, covered her mouth and slit her throat. Her screams caused their mother to come running upstairs to check on the commotion, and when she entered the room, Crystal managed to get away while Robert started stabbing his mother. As Cyrstal ran she began to shout to the rest of her family, warning them to get away. She also managed to grab a cell phone and ran outside, which unfortunately triggered the house alarm, which caused her brothers to go chasing after her. Michael turned off the house alarm, and before Cyrstal could call 9–1–1, she ended up passing out on the lawn, waking up to Robert dragging her back inside.
Once back inside the house, Michael yelled to Robert that their father was coming. Robert told the court that his father was charging at him, and in fear of being overpowered, he started to stab him in the chest and heard him take his last breath. After that, they found their other two siblings, Christopher and Victoria, had locked themselves in the bathroom. Michael tried to persuade them to open the door, telling them that Robert was trying to kill him too. Sadly, six year old Christopher believed his brother, and when he opened up the door just a little bit, Michael kicked it in, and Robert stabbed them both to death. During all this, their last brother, Daniel, managed to lock himself in their fathers office and called 9–1–1, alerting them that his brothers were killing the whole family. Screaming, commotion, and a male’s voice was heard before the line went dead. Sadly, the same act that fooled Christopher and Victoria fooled Daniel, too. When Daniel opened the door, Michael looked at Robert and said, “all yours!” Daniel tried begging for his life, and told Robert, “don’t kill me! I love you!” But that didn't’ stop Robert from killing him.
Through all the commotion, the brothers forgot about their youngest sibling who was sound asleep in her bedroom throughout the whole thing. Later, Robert explained that their plan was to chop Autumn’s head off, but their plan got messed up when they decided to start with Crystal first instead. The police showed up shortly after, and the two had escaped through the backdoor, but were quickly apprehended. When the police arrived and no one answered the door, they kicked it in and found Crystal lying in a pool of blood, calling for help. Crystal survived the attack, but was in critical condition and needed surgery. She identified Robert and Michael as the attackers and said they lured her into the room before slitting her throat and stabbing her in her arms and stomach. Both her and her baby sister were placed into state custody.
Autopsies
David Bever: At least 28 stab wounds to the torso, face, neck, left arm, left hand.
April Bever: Blunt force trauma, more than 48 stab wounds to the head, neck, torso, arms, and hands.
Daniel Bever: 21 stab wounds to the back, chest, and shoulder.
Christopher Bever: 21 stab wounds to the back, chest, shoulder, and lower leg.
Victoria Bever: 23 stab wounds to her back, chest, both sides of her neck, and upper arm.
Investigation and Sentencing
When police first entered the home, knives, hatchets, and other bladed weapons were found at the scene, along with protective gear. However, it was stated that at least some of the weapons found were used in the killings, but not all of them. One of the brothers told police that plans for the killings were stored on a flash drive inside the home. This flash drive was later found during their second search of the home. They also found computer equipment along with video surveillance cameras, which they believed recorded the murders as they were located near where three of the victims’ bodies were found. It was later determined that the brothers planned to make two videos, one with the bodies of their family that would be shown to investigators, the other without the bodies that would be posted online. Additionally, investigators looked into a shipment of boxes containing a total of 3,000 rounds of ammunition that was believed to have been delivered on July 23.
In Oklahoma, the punishment for first degree murder is either life imprisonment, or the death penalty. Michael Bever’s attorney argued against the decision to try his client as an adult, stating that his client would die in prison and that it was the same as the death penalty. He argued Michael should be rehabilitated instead of imprisoned if he was physically and emotionally abused at home. Due to Michael being under the age of 18 at the time of the murders, the death penalty would not be an option for him. In the end, Robert ended up getting life in prison without the possibility of parole, and Michael got life in prison with the possibility of parole.
The house was burned down in a fire on March 18, 2017. On March 27, 2019, Reflection Park was dedicated in an official ceremony. There belongs a path through the grass where the Bever house once stood.
