In the quiet suburbs of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a horrific scene unfolded on the night of July 22, 2015, forever marking the community. Inside their family home, seven-year-old Christopher Bever, a young boy, was brutally murdered along with four members of his family in a violent knife attack. The devastating event was orchestrated by his two older brothers, Robert and Michael Bever, who were 18 and 16 years old at the time.
The tranquility of the evening was shattered when one of
Christopher's siblings made a desperate 911 call, alerting authorities that their brother was attacking the family. When police arrived, they discovered a gruesome scene. Christopher, his parents David and April Bever, and two of his siblings, 12-year-old Daniel and 5-year-old Victoria, had all been stabbed to death. Christopher himself sustained 21 stab wounds. Two other siblings, a 13-year-old sister and a 2-year-old sister, were found alive. The 13-year-old was critically injured but was able to identify her brothers as the assailants.
The two perpetrators, Robert and Michael, fled the home and were apprehended by police in a nearby wooded area with the assistance of a K9 unit. They were taken into custody without incident. The subsequent investigation revealed a chilling plot devised by the brothers, who reportedly harbored a desire for fame and notoriety as serial killers. They had amassed knives and other weapons in preparation for the attack on their family, which they allegedly saw as the first step in a larger plan for a cross-country killing spree.
Robert Bever, the older brother, pleaded guilty in 2016 to five counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault with intent to kill. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Michael Bever was tried as an adult and, in 2018, was found guilty of the same charges. He also received five life sentences, but with the possibility of parole. The case left the community of Broken Arrow in shock and mourning, struggling to comprehend the brutal act of violence committed by two of its own.
