In the quiet suburbs of Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a horrific scene unfolded on a summer night in July 2015, claiming the life of five-year-old Victoria Bever. The young female was at home with her family when two of her older brothers, Robert, 18, and Michael, 16, initiated a brutal attack. The evening of July 22nd began to turn into a nightmare when the brothers, armed with knives, first attacked their 13-year-old sister, Crystal.
She was lured into her brothers' room, where they were clad in body armor, and then stabbed multiple times. Despite her severe injuries, she managed to briefly escape and her mother's screams could be heard.
The violence quickly spread through the house. The boys' parents, David and April Bever, were stabbed dozens of times. Hearing the commotion, Victoria and her seven-year-old brother, Christopher, hid in a bathroom. One of the older brothers coaxed them out by pretending he was in danger and needed them to open the door. When they did, both young children were tragically stabbed to death. Victoria suffered approximately 23 stab wounds. Her twelve-year-old brother, Daniel, was also killed after he managed to make a 911 call, which was cut short when his brothers found him and attacked him. Amid the carnage, a two-year-old sister was found unharmed upstairs.
When police arrived, they were met with a gruesome scene and found the gravely injured 13-year-old sister, who identified her brothers as the attackers before being rushed to the hospital. Robert and Michael Bever had fled to a wooded area behind the family home but were quickly apprehended by police using a K9 unit. The brothers had planned the massacre and had aspirations of becoming famous serial killers, with intentions of carrying out more random killings across the country.
In the aftermath, the legal process moved forward. Robert Bever pleaded guilty in 2016 to five counts of first-degree murder and was sentenced to five life sentences without the possibility of parole. Michael Bever, though a juvenile at the time of the crime, was tried as an adult. He was found guilty in 2018 and received five consecutive life sentences, though with the possibility of parole. The two surviving sisters were placed in state custody to begin the long road to recovery from the devastating loss of their family.
