Latest / Minor Mischief Podcast / The Bever Brother Blame Game
Transcript
- Kiki George: What happens when two brothers decide that murdering their entire family isn't the end goal, but merely practice? This is the Minor Mistriff Podcast, and this is the Bever Brother Blame Game. Know why y'all put up with me. I make myself sick sometimes. Welcome back to another episode of the Minor Mischief Podcast, a true crime podcast where we discuss the crimes of young people. I'm your host and Home Girl for the time being. This is Kiana Amir. Hi, and thank you. Thank you for hanging out with me. Happy October. Happy October, y'all. Happy October. I was supposed to say that last week, but with everything that we were discussing, I was like, I don't have time for pleasantries, but I had time this week. Happy October, guys. I can hear Mariah Carey's vocals defrosting as we speak. Also, your favorite podcast host's birthday is this month. So thank you. Thank you for my happy birthday is in the comments. Prepare to be sick of me all month. I'm gonna celebrate from now up until October 31st. And then on November 1st, I'm gonna start obsessing over Thanksgiving. Fun fact, I hated Thanksgiving growing up. But now something about I guess cause maybe I'm the one that's putting things together now, I don't know. But Thanksgiving is starting to become one of my favorite holidays. And I I I do understand that Thanksgiving shouldn't be a holiday because like why are we celebrating? But the food. I don't want to say but the food, but my gosh, the food. Without further ado, though, let's get into today's story, shall we? We shall. Today's story, I'm gonna be quite honest, it is dark. And I know I say that a lot, obviously, because this is a true crime podcast, right? And it's a true crime podcast about children and young people who commit crimes. And some weeks I feel like, hey, we can get through this story, okay? And some weeks I'm like, this is a little heavy, heavy. And I feel like today's case is a little heavy-heavy. So listener discretion is advised. this story has layers. And it does detail not terribly in depth, but a little bit the murders of young children. And so I just wanted to put that out there. Now, normally, when your siblings get caught doing something they weren't supposed to be doing, there's one universal rule. Blame your sibling. I know it. My kids know it. Those of you listening who have siblings know it. It's like who ate the cookies? He did it. Who broke the lamp? She did it. Who put the hole in the wall? I don't know, but it definitely wasn't me. Like I said, I have four children. I know how this works. Somehow everybody was present. Everybody saw what happened. Everybody has a detailed statement about what somebody else did. And yet when it comes to Mr. Nobody, he doesn't exist. But today's sibling blame game, this one's a little different. Because on july twenty second, twenty fifteen, something absolutely horrific happens inside of a home in Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. And when questioned, it boils down to I don't know, my brother did it. So buckle up and hold on tight friends, because today we are flying first class to Oklahoma. You guys see how like we upped the budget? Before we were taking road trips. Now we're on planes, guys. Like we're Flying first class to Oklahoma. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, to be exact. Also, very quickly before we start, like I said, I'm gonna do my best to not linger on unnecessary graphic details involving the victims out of respect for them and their families, but just wanted to make sure that you guys understood that was the trigger warning that has been issued. Broken Arrow, Oklahoma sits just southeast of Tulsa, Oklahoma. I don't know why. Whenever I think of Oklahoma, I immediately think tornadoes, flatlands, windstorms. my. However, Broken Arrow is described as a thriving suburb in the Tulsa area. It boasts a vibrant downtown area, aka the Rose District, popular regional attractions, including the Military History Center and Ray Harrow Nature Park. They have some of the best rated schools in Oklahoma. And Broken Arrow is a very family-oriented town with lots of parks. Lots of places for children to play. They said that there's like literally a church on every corner. Kristen Chennewith is from there. And it's home to about 125,000 residents. So it's a pretty good sized city. And it's one of the fastest growing in the state. Additionally, the crime rate in Broken Arrow is pretty much non-existent. They said they have like a 0.25% crime rate, which I'm just like, it's a great thing I don't want to live in Oklahoma because I can go for someplace with a lower crime rate. Cause North Carolina, get yourselves together. It's a little, it's a little out of hand. It's a little ridiculous. It's a little, why is that happening? Okay. Like we're supposed to be eating barbecue and loving each other. Why is the crime rate so high here? At least it's not Chicago. No shade to y'all, Chicago, because I know y'all like to tussle. I know y'all like to tussle. I love y'all very much, but y'all have some really, really, really bad, severe crime rates. But that's not why we're here. In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, we meet brothers Michael and Robert Bever, who are our mischief makers, and David, April, Christopher, Victoria, Daniel, Crystal, and Autumn Bever, who are the stars of our show, but also unfortunately our victims. Robert, Michael, and Crystal were the oldest in birth order of the siblings, so just keep that in mind as I'm telling the story. Robert Davis Bever was born on September 17, 1996, followed by Michael John Bever. Who was born on November 4th, 1998, to their parents, David and April Bever. The Bever family lived at the house located at 709 Magnolia Court in the Indian Springs section of Broken Arrow. And their home sat in the kind of neighborhood where honestly, nothing ever happens. And particularly, nobody ever thought something like this would happen in the house belonging to the Bever family. You see, the Bever family mainly kept to themselves inside the walls of their large home. And I mean they were a large family. They were a family of nine. A large home was required. And praise the Lord they had the means to get it because it was a pretty large home. David worked as a computer analyst and April worked from home so that she could be with the kids throughout the day. All of the Bever children were homeschooled by April and they were not allowed to play outside or socialize with the other children in the neighborhood. So it's like you have this neighborhood, you have all these kids that are playing outside. They know each other, they love each other, they're happy together. And then there's the Bever children who were just like watching from their windows because they are strictly forbidden from playing outside. Matter of fact, they were strictly forbidden on socializing with anyone outside of their home. It did beg the question: like, did they have family? Like, did they have cousins, aunts, uncles, people that knew them? And I did not get the answer to that question because by all accounts they were. Very secluded, they kept to themselves. It was mom, dad, kids. They spoke to each other. They played together inside of the house, of course, and nobody ever really saw them outside. The neighbors said they barely saw the children. Even those close to the Bever family didn't really know them at all. The Bever children were described as extremely isolated. And sometimes the family would even go months without leaving the house. Their neighbors did not even know their names until this story came out. But that didn't matter because they didn't bother anybody. So their neighbors were like, okay, they keep to themselves, but guess what? There's no noise coming from there. There's no children darting out in the street. There is no, I don't hear anybody fighting. You're all right with me. David and April did the best they could to protect their children from outside and dangerous influences, including reportedly placing security cameras in and around their property. Their homeschool curriculum was not really the type of curriculum one would think, you know. Because to me, when I think of homeschool, I'm thinking we wake up in the morning, we have breakfast. I go through your lesson plan for today. You may have recess, then we'll have lunch. After lunch, you know, we're gonna go back to our studies. And after we're done with our studies, you guys can hang out for a moment, baths will be done, dinner will be had, you will go to bed, and then we get up and do it all over again. That's how I think of it when I think about homeschool. And I just know that I don't have that. Like both of my parents were teachers. My mom was an English teacher and my dad was a math teacher. I don't have it in me to teach any children, including my own. But that's not how homeschooling worked in the Bever household. According to Robert Bever, they were entirely self-educated. They had tablets and he said his mother might direct them towards like ABC Mouse or educational websites like that. But she spent most of the day in her home office. And Robert claimed that he personally taught Michael through multiple grade levels. Each child was provided with a phone and a tablet. And as hard as David and April worked to keep their children safe from the outside world, they didn't do a damn thing about letting the outside world enter their home via technology. And we all know how this goes. Like, I think I've mentioned it in a few episodes past. I have banned YouTube from my house. Even YouTube kids, because the things that they're carrying on with on YouTube. I just, I sim I sincerely cannot. I can't. But the children had full access to the internet and they could apparently watch whatever they wanted to on television. Now, David was described as physically abusive. The children claimed that he would hit, shake, and throw them. Michael mentioned that he was constantly mocked and teased because he had a speech impediment. I couldn't imagine a world, right, where ch the children are being homeschooled to be protected from the horrors of the outside world because I get it. I've changed my kids' schools because let's just say I have come to realize that like you can have three kids that are the same age and they would be three different intellectual levels. Like one would completely know what's going on in the world, one would be completely sheltered, and the other one would kind of straddle the line between knowing just enough to not get hurt and not knowing enough to kind of preserve their innocence. And for me personally, with the school systems where I live. It was just too many kids that knew way too much. And I'm just like, I gotta preserve your innocence just a wee bit. And so I had to move my kids because I'm like, I'm not like the stuff that these kids were carrying on with, and I blame the parents to a certain extent because why would middle schoolers be trying to play Russian roulette? You know what I'm saying? Like, why would middle schoolers be like, it's fourth of July, we're about to go pop off some guns? Are you crazy? Hell no, not with my children. The devil is no Hell no, because the very next kid that's gonna get Molly Wapped is gonna be that one. Mm-mm. I don't think so. But this is not about me. This is about the Bever family. So imagine your parents are homeschooling you and you're not allowed to go outside. You're not allowed to have friends. You're not allowed to do anything, but you're getting picked on still. I would be like, what was the reason? Just send me to school. Just send me to school. Let me make friends. Let me get picked on by people my own age and not my damn father. I would have put ice in his sock drawer. Crystal Bever also admitted to the violence and harsh punishments that their father put them through. However, because the family was so isolated, none of these claims could be substantiated because there was no CPS history, although I am led to believe the children. Throughout their childhood, Michael and Robert built a very close sibling bond and trusted each other more than they did anyone else in the family. The boys were very quiet, they were very secretive. And they spent pretty much every waking moment together. They would be up late into the night sharing ideas. Growing up, Robert and Michael were obsessed with fame and even more obsessed with school shootings and crime. Robert especially seemed to have developed an intense fascination with murder. But together they researched mass shootings regularly and they fell into the Columbine obsession as well, because Robert was born in 1999, which was the same year that the Columbine tragedy occurred. It was to the point where they were constantly talking about crime, murder, serial killers, death. And Crystal said this was really concerning for her because why is discussing murder your morning devotional? Now I hear what she's saying, but I'm kinda like the same way. So I'm led to be like, Am I okay? Should I talk to somebody? I mean, I have a therapist and a psychiatrist. I feel like at this point I'm talked out. One of Robert's favorite movies was the movie Rampage, which if you've never seen it, it's a movie by Uwe Bowl that follows a young man who is 23-year-old Bill Williamson, who lives with his parents in Oregon. And Bill, he's just fed up with the world. He's fed up with the overpopulation of society. He's fed up with human beings. And I feel like a lot of us can, you know, a lot of us can agree. He orders a full body armor suit and goes on a rampage, killing innocent people around town, which a lot of us will not agree with. And the boys, they were To watch this movie with no issue. Like it was like, boys, what are y'all watching? we're watching Rampage again. Okay, enjoy, you know? Michael, he was said to really idolize his big brother and would follow him into the flames if need be. Together, the brothers wanted their own Wikipedia page. They wanted to be as famous or more famous as the Aurora Theater shooters and the Columbine shooters. News flash, buddy. I didn't know who you were until now. I'm just saying. Unfortunately, Robert and Michael's interest didn't remain theoretical. They began talking about what it would be like to become killers themselves. And eventually they started making plans. In the summer of 2014, Robert enters the workforce at a Christian call center of all places. And he uses his paychecks to buy full body armor, Kevlar vests, knives, weapons. His goal was to kill more than 500 people. So he goes home, he tells Michael his plans. He's like, Michael, listen, I got this job now. With my paychecks, I'm about to start gearing up. Like I'm about to start buying us stuff because we're about to go on a rampage. And Michael is like, you know what, Robert? Hell yeah, that sounds like a great idea. Crystal, because apparently Crystal's just always around. She Crystal had common sense. Crystal is not a fool. So Crystal stumbles upon all of the weapons that they began to collect, and she immediately runs and takes her concerns to their parents. So she's like, Mom, Dad, don't you guys I don't know, find the amount of weapons that Robert and Michael are collecting to be just a wee bit concerning. And her parents look at her and they're just like, sweetheart, just let them live. Boys will be boys. Yes, if they want to collect weapons, that's their prerogative. But while they thought it to be harmless, Robert and Michael had made plans to take down as many people as they could. Crystal tried to warn her mother again after Michael came to her with their plan and allegedly asked her if she wanted to be a part of it. Once again, April shrugged her off and told her, like, girl, they are just joking. It's one thing to be obsessed with crime, but being obsessed with crime and having an arsenal of weapons under my roof, threatening to kill me, I could never. I could never. Cause I would have I don't know what I would have done, but I just I was not about to take that lightly at all. I would be interested though to know what their game plan was because I'm just like, To me, when I think of certain crimes like mass shootings, they usually end one of two ways. Either the shooter ends up dead or being tortured in jail for the rest of their life. So I'm just like, did you guys really think was this just like a prolonged suicide mission? Like help me help, like help me understand. While Crystal continued to warn her parents, Robert learned that he could purchase guns online and pick them up at a local gun dealer. So apparently you can go online. I don't know if it's like this nowadays, but it was like this back then. You can go online and order guns from online. There's a little checkbox that says, Hey, are you 21 or older? Kind of like when you go on the liquor sites. And so he just clicked the checkbox. He ordered a Mossberg shotgun and two Glock pistols, one for him and one for Michael. And he figured when the weapons came in at the store, he would just use a fake ID or try to find someone outside to go pick them up for him. It's now Wednesday, July 22nd, 2015, a fairly average day in the neighborhood. Until shortly before eleven thirty PM. The Bever siblings are asleep, nestled in their bed at night. And here's where we get into the part of the story that, you know, listener discretion is advised. April tells Crystal to go tell her brothers to do the dishes and to help with the cats. Seven kids and cats is God bless her. God bless her. So April tells Crystal, go get the brothers, do the dishes, help with the cats. Crystal's just like, yes, mom, she goes and does as she is told. She enters Robert and Michael's bedroom and she catches them putting on full body armor with several sets of knives laying across the bed. She thinks nothing of it because they're always messing with this type of stuff. So she looks at them and she's just like, Okay, mom says y'all need to go do those dishes and go clean up after the cats. And she turns around to go back to the living room with her mom because it was Pretty much their nightly routine for April and Crystal to stay up late watching TV. So she turns around and she's getting ready to head back into the living room with her mom when she hears one of the boys say, We need to get her back in here. So Michael follows her out of the room and he said, Crystal, there's something I want to show you on my computer. Can you come look? So Crystal, she goes back into the room with him. Michael sits down at the computer. She looks over his shoulder at the computer screen. Robert sneaks up behind her. puts his hand over her mouth and tries to slash her throat. The plan was to have Crystal die quickly and quietly, and then they would pretty much kill the rest of their family in a stealthy fashion, like ninjas. These were their words, not mine. They said that based on their research, they should be able to kill each member with one stab wound. So they figured we'll get her first and then we're going to get the rest of the family, each with one stab wound. It'll be over before anybody knows what's going on, and then we can go about our lives. However, what they did not plan was for Crystal to fight back. So Crystal starts screaming. She's fighting. She made a lot of noise, and there is blood everywhere. And Robert's repeatedly stabbing her. April at this point is hearing Crystal screaming. She's hearing all of the noise and she runs into the room. And Michael turns to Robert and asks, Should we do it right now? To which Robert answers, Yes. Crystal breaks free and runs out of the house, setting off the home security system on the way out. She hears April screaming, call 911 as she is being stabbed. April fights back aggressively, but eventually succumbs to her 48 stab wounds across her arms, neck, face, chest, and abdomen. As Crystal heads to the street, She collapses in the front yard because she's at this point just lost way too much blood. So as she collapsed in the front yard, Michael goes out to get her and he drags her back in the house. He shishes her as he picks her up and she's using the little bit of strength that she has left to continue to fight him off. He then drops her and proceeds to strangle her. Robert comes up and he's just like, Hey, I don't want, I don't want the neighbors to see any of this. Just pull her back in the house. We'll deal with her later. So they get back in the house. Robert turns to Michael and says, Where are the others? Michael informs Robert that they are hiding. Christopher and Victoria were awakened by the commotion and they run and lock themselves into a bathroom. Michael goes to the bathroom and knocks on the door while frantically screaming, Let me in. He's going to kill me. They open the door because, you know, they're thinking their brother's out there. He's he's hurt. He's scared. So go ahead. By all means come in here with us. Michael is their brother. They're terrified. And their older brother, someone who by all accounts should be protecting them, is saying he needs protection too. So they unlock the door, they let Michael inside, and Michael stabs them both. Christopher 21 times and Victoria 23 times. By this time, David hears all of the screaming and wakes up. It takes him time to hear the commotion because of the size of the house. As he's walking out of his bedroom, he asks Robert what's going on, and Robert lunges at him. Robert stabs David 28 times to the back, chest, neck, and abdomen. At this point, Michael goes and disarms the family's home security system. By this point, Daniel is up. He runs to their father's office and locks himself inside. He manages to grab a cell phone on the way in and calls 911, telling them that his brother was attacking the family. The 911 call is on YouTube and I thought about inserting it here, but it's honestly it's just too heartbreaking. Michael knocks on the door and once again he's just like, Help me, Daniel, he's gonna kill me. So Daniel opens the door. He's still on the phone with 911. Michael steps to the side and tells Robert, he's all yours. Michael takes the phone from him and smashes it to the ground, breaking it. The 911 operator hears the commotion, and before the call drops, Robert grabs Daniel and stabs him repeatedly. David Bever was 52 years old, April was 44, Daniel was 12, Christopher was seven, and Victoria was just five years old. Dispatchers track the address that the call came from by reverse searching the phone number. They call David Bever because he's the emergency contact, and you know, they're just trying to see if everything is okay. And when he does not answer the phone, officers are dispatched. Detective Brent Burton, along with another officer, responds to the scene at approximately 11:30 p.m. And they encountered a scene that immediately made it clear that this was not a typical domestic disturbance. From the time they set foot on the front porch, they noticed pools of blood alongside the front steps and around the porch. Robert and Michael were preparing to head upstairs to finish the job by killing Autumn when they hear a loud banging on the door. It was the police. As they knock on the front door, they hear a faint voice belonging to Crystal saying, Help, save me. Please save me. The boys scatter at this point. Their plan was to take their mom's keys and drive her minivan out, but they couldn't find her purse or keys, so they decided to run out the back door to the woods behind their house. Police force their way into the house and see Crystal laying in a pool of blood clinging to her life. They ask her what happened and with the little bit that she had left, she said My brother stabbed me. They stabbed everybody. Crystal is removed from the home and taken out. To the hospital by paramedics, and they continue searching the house where they find the bodies of the rest of the family. As their search continues, they find two-year-old Autumn sleeping in a bedroom stairs untouched. At this point, they realize that this case is bigger than they thought, so more officers were called out to the scene. They literally said that every officer on duty that night reported to the scene. Police began searching the surrounding area, and shortly after their search began, police dogs pick up Robert and Michael's scent and begin to follow it. As they're following the trail, they begin seeing pieces of body armor and weapons scattered everywhere. When asked about this later, Robert said he was just tired from all the stabbing and dropped one of his metal body armor plates. And I wish I was making that up. That is a true statement. Canines locate Michael and Robert hiding under a bush near the creek at approximately 1218 AM. Robert apparently still had a knife on him and still had on his body armor. However, the two were arrested without incident. They weren't upset. They weren't crying. They showed no emotion. They actually seemed happy. There was this picture taken of Robert upon arrest and he has like the biggest smile on his face. Like it was actually very unsettling. He looked like, Yeah, I did that. As police were taking them to the squad cars, Robert looks over at Michael and says, It's been a pleasure. I'm proud of what I've done. Knives, hatchets, and other weapons were found in their bedroom and a receipt for 2,000 rounds of ammunition, which was scheduled to be delivered the next day. Like I mentioned earlier, Crystal was taken to a nearby hospital where she underwent emergency surgery, and by the next day she was listed in critical but stable condition. David, April, Daniel, Christopher, and Victoria were declared dead by paramedics at the scene. While Crystal lay in a hospital bed recovering from her surgery, She told detectives that Robert frequently said there were, quote, too many people in the world. And Michael said many times he would kill their family and steal their money. Robert and Michael were arrested for the murders of their family members and taken in for questioning. Michael was questioned first. He tells investigators that he and Robert had been planning the attacks for about two months. He tells detective that the plan was to kill everyone at the house first, and when the guns and ammunition that they ordered were delivered, then they would go on a murderous rampage. They were supposed to go through the house, like I said, like ninjas. Like they really thought I don't know what they had been watching. I don't know what made them think this was a good idea, but like they really thought that they were just gonna hop on everyone's bed and just do a quick one too. And that was gonna be the end of it. And they would steal their mom's van and just drive off into the sunset. But that's not how real life works. Michael told Belize he didn't that he didn't kill any members of the family. It was all Robert. He went on to say the reason they killed their family members is because they were in the way and they did not want them to intercept their large weapons order. Michael went on to say that if he had not gone through with the plan, Robert would have killed him too. Typical. Robert was interviewed next, and unlike Michael, he was excited. He was excited, like he could not wait to share his plans with investigators. Robert said he did everything. Investigators were not going to let this go because they did not believe for a second. That Michael just sat there and didn't do anything because they're just like everyone else in this house is dead. Then we believe you not so much. Because how is it that you had on body armor, but you had nothing to do with this? How is it that you have blood on you, but you had nothing to do with this? How is it that I found you under the same bush that Robert was hiding under, but you had nothing to do with this? Let's respectfully make it make sense. So then they go back to the interrogation room and they tell Michael, like, hey, Robert confessed. He said he stabbed more than one person. But he said, you also stabbed more than one person, Michael. So they're just like, who did you stab, Michael? And it was at this point that Michael knew that he messed up. Michael begins to spill and he tells them everything. Additionally, police find out that they recorded the murders to distribute online later as proof of their killing spree. I cannot. After interrogation, both boys were charged with the murders and held without bond. On August 3rd, 2014, the boys were arraigned by Judge Martha Rupp Carter. The boys showed no emotion as they were both charged with five counts of first degree murder, as well as one count of assault and battery with intent to kill for the attempted murder of Crystal. Because Robert was 18 at the time of the crimes, he was eligible for the death penalty by Oklahoma state law. By the time Michael's case reaches a jury in 2016, figuring out exactly what role each brother played becomes one of the biggest issues for prosecutors. However, before Michael ever gets his day in court, prosecutors speak with Crystal, prepping her for what's to come. And so they're just like, Crystal, let's just talk to you. Here's what you can expect to be asked. Here's what they're gonna say. Here's what you can look forward to. And then they tell her that Robert could potentially be sentenced to death. And she asked them if they would consider giving him life if he never gets the chance to be released. And so they're just like, basically what they're trying to do is prevent Crystal from reliving the day. They're trying to preserve her at this point, because at this point she would have been about 15 years old. So they're just like, listen, Michael, you know, Robert's case is coming up. Here's what it looks like. They are gonna ask you to testify. And she's just like, I don't want to do that. If you guys can promise me that he'll never get out, I'll write a statement, I'll do whatever, but just promise me he'll never get out. So, you know, the prosecution at this point goes to the defense. They're just like, listen, we're willing to offer him life without the possibility of parole. We can forego this trial. Crystal doesn't have to live through it. Because that became a huge thing. Like even on the news articles, on the nightly news, everyone was like, Crystal Bever, you know, scheduled to testify. And more people were worried about her and preserving just the little bit of peace that she had than seeing Robert go down. So this was the agreement they all came with. So in September 2016, Robert Bever stood in a Tulsa County courtroom and pled guilty to five counts of first degree murder and one count connected to the attack on Crystal. Because he pled guilty as agreed, Prosecutors did not pursue the death penalty, and Robert received five consecutive sentences of life without the possibility of parole for the murders, along with another life sentence for the attack on his sister. The Tulsa County District Attorney explained that their surviving children weighed heavily in the decision not to pursue a death penalty case. This decision pleased most people because again, Crystal survived the attack. She had already lost her parents. She had lost three of her siblings. Her two older brothers were the ones that did it. And taking this case to trial would mean that she would be asked to relive what happened again and again and again. So they're just like, let's just wrap this up. Let's put a bow on it. Let's put this behind us and let's deal with Michael's case now. So Robert's case is wrapped up and finished, but Michael's, child, Michael was just getting started. Michael was given the same offer and he said, absolutely not. Which makes me wonder. Like it actually pisses me off and I could really choke and smack the hell out of Michael because. It makes me wonder if he thought he was gonna get away with murder. Or like what was the thought process here? Because he would already confess he entered an insanity plea. So it's just like, why are you dragging your sister through this? I feel like he was only thinking about himself. And that just makes me want to slap him with a slipper like my mom used to do back in the day. Like I to this day, if I ever saw Michael Bever, I promise you, smack the shit out of him in that order. But This is not about me. It's not about me. I was gonna say be like Robert, but honestly, I felt like Robert, I really feel like Robert was quick to plead out because he really had nothing. He knew he was going down. And I will give Robert, if just ever so slightly, the tiniest bit of credit because how many times have we gone through these cases? And I'm just like, why are they wasting our time? Like, we know they did it. Everybody knows you did it. So why are we why are we going through this? Just plead guilty and let's move on with our day. So I'll give Robert just like a nanometer of credit for that. But Michael, you can go to hell for dragging this out. So Michael's trial began in April 2018, and by then Michael was 19 years old. His defense team, led by defense attorneys Corbin Brewster and Rob Nye, went with the case of Robert was the killer, not Michael. Michael didn't do this. Michael would never. Michael was a great big brother. Michael's trial lasted six full weeks. And if I was a part of the jury, I would have been pissed. Like jury duty, I pray I never. Like I have made it and I feel like I'm jinxing myself. Cause I have made it till almost 40 without ever being called for jury duty. And I pray, like I just, I really don't want to. I don't want to do it. I don't want it. I don't want to do it. And you would think with my line of work being a true crime podcaster, like I would love to do it, I don't want to do it. I don't I really don't want to sit here and listen to y'all talk all day. I don't. I I just I would rather just watch the clips. I or or if I wanna see the full thing, I'll just watch it on the internet. I don't wanna be there. I don't wanna have to like disrupt my entire life just to cause you can't do anything. Especially if it's a high profile case, you can't do anything. And I'm just mm-mm. Don't sign me up. Please, please, please don't sign me up. So Michael's trial lasted a full six weeks. And it included the testimony of none other than Robert Bever. Robert walked into court, took the witness stand, and told the jury that he wanted to take responsibility for the deaths of his family members. Robert testified that he had lied to police about Michael's involvement. He claimed he hadn't actually seen Michael kill anyone. Robert became very emotional on the stand. He cried, Michael cried, the jurors reportedly cried. It was a very heavy testimony. But there was one little problem. Actually, there were several, and the prosecution led by district attorney Steve Kunzweiler could not wait to tear apart Robert's story. Robert's new version of events did not line up with the evidence. And even Robert couldn't completely remove Michael from the plan. Michael's DNA was found on the knife handle containing his father's blood. Michael was also covered in blood when he was found, blood that belonged to his mother. Additionally, his DNA was also found on the knife handle of the knives used to kill Christopher and Daniel. Robert eventually had to admit that Michael knew beforehand that he intended to kill their family. He also testified that Michael helped get younger siblings to open locked doors after they tried to hide. Then, Michael's own police interview was played. Crystal takes the stand and they said that her anxiety was felt by everyone in the courtroom. Crystal testified that her brothers, Robert and Michael, lured family members out of their rooms one by one by pretending that one of them was being attacked. A videotape deposition that she recorded was also played for the court. So prosecutors essentially had to ask the jury, are you going to believe what Robert Bever is telling you now? Or are you going to believe what Michael himself said shortly after the murders, along with the evidence left inside the house? When the jury was sent to deliberate, they returned to the court and they were all in tears. I never they did not do like the jury, unlike Other jurors from other high profile cases that typically they go, they talk to the media afterwards. All of the jury members, from what I could tell in this case, were just like, we don't want to talk about it. Like we don't want to talk about it. It was just a very heavy case. And they had to see a lot. They had to hear a lot. They were privy to a lot. And so they each like were just like, no. So after they got done deliberating, they were all just like, they were so spent. They were just emotional and they just wanted this to be over with. Regardless, when they came back, Michael was found guilty of five counts of first degree murder and one count of assault and battery with intent to kill. He was sentenced to five consecutive life sentences, and he and Robert were ordered to not be allowed at the same prison. Which brings me to where are they now? In the words of the great Tupac Shakur, edited to fit this case, who would have thought in elementary, hey, they will see the penitentiary someday. If you are looking for the Bever brothers, that's exactly where you'll find them. Robert Bever is currently serving his sentence at the Oklahoma State Penitentiary, while Michael is serving his sentence at the Lexington Correctional Center. Michael has filed at least one appeal, which was denied in 2020. Praise the Lord. I'm sure he's filed more, and I'm sure Robert has filed appeals as well. But to be truthful, I don't think either of them is ever gonna be released. Like it would be one thing if you killed your abusive father. And there may have been a Grace, if maybe mom just got caught up in the crossfire. I'm not saying it was right, but I do believe a certain level of understanding would come into play. But your siblings, they did not deserve that. They were innocent in this and they did not deserve the fate that they were met with. In 2019, Robert got in trouble for trying to attack prison staff with a sharp instrument. No one was hurt. But y'all, his 2019 mugshot with the bangs, is like it was giving baby bang. Like I was like, why? You do that to like who did that to you? I I want y'all to go look it up. Like he literally had the bang. Like it was so ridiculous. I'm like, what are you going through? What exactly are you going through, Robert? I cackled for a strong 20 minutes when I saw that picture because I'm like, what is happening here? Anyways, enough about them. How are our girls crystal in autumn? Short answer we will never know. Crystal lives a private life with her younger sibling and stays completely out of the media, which started with a petition from her guardian. Where she went, who raised her, what she's up to now are all kept heavily under wraps. And y'all know that I love that for her. After the murders, the Bever family home at 709 Magnolia Court basically became a shell of what it once had been. Once investigators and crime scene cleaners finished processing the house, it was left vacant. The scene had been so extensive that parts of the interior had reportedly been stripped down to the studs because much of the home was considered a biohazard. And as you can probably imagine, nobody was exactly lining up to buy it. Local real estate agents said the house had lost a significant amount of value because of the stigma attached to what happened there. Even if you stripped it down, repainted every wall, changed the floors, and poured holy water from top to bottom, some things are just a hard sell. The mortgage holder was expected to take a major loss if the property ever went back on the market. And the house itself started developing a reputation around Broken Arrow. Because of its dark exterior, its abandoned appearance, and of course, the horrific history attached to it, some neighbors even started referring to it as Broken Arrow's Amityville Horror House. Unfortunately, that reputation attracted exactly the kind of attention you would expect: ghost hunters, teenagers on a spooky dare. Trespassers, vandals, you name it. By early 2017, Broken Arrow officials were trying to come up with a better future for the property. The city council announced plans to raise money through the Tulsa Community Foundation in hopes of purchasing the house from the mortgage company. The idea was to tear it down and replace it with a memorial park and garden honoring the Bever family and the first responders who were called to the scene because they are all I watched a documentary which some of the First responders told their piece. And to this day, they are all still very traumatized by what they witnessed there because to them, they're just like these things don't happen in our community, you know? On March 18th, 2017, though, before they could even purchase the house or tear it down, the Bever House caught fire and was destroyed. There was a suspicion of arson, but I didn't read anything that said anyone was charged. And I honestly feel like if I was a detective or the fire chief. Baby I was not even trying to figure that out. I would have like, you know what? I would take it for what it was. The destruction of a heartbreaking part of Broken Arrows history and kindly continue on with the memorial garden. Honestly, though, there's something almost eerie about that. Like this house had already been gutted on the inside. It had become this abandoned landmark connected to one of the worst crimes in Broken Arrows history. Then two years after the murders, it was gone. Caught up in flames, like done. For Crystal and Autumn's sake, though, I'm actually very glad it happened. Eventually the property was torn down and cleared and transformed into something completely different. On March 27, 2019, the city officially dedicated Reflection Park on the former Bever property. Today, instead of the dark house that once stood on Magnolia Court, there is grass, a walking path, and a peaceful space for the community. A path now winds through the exact area where the Bever home once stood. And I actually want to give the city a lot of credit for creating something beautiful out of something so horrific. Because Robert and Michael Bever wanted notoriety. They wanted people to remember what happened in that house. They wanted violence to become their legacy. But instead of preserving the house as some creepy attraction, the city reclaimed the land and created something peaceful. And I've seen the photos and videos of the park, and it is truly beautiful. As part of my research for this episode, I watched the show Killer Siblings on Apple TV, and my heart just truly goes out to everyone involved because there was not a dry eye in anyone that was retelling that story. Which brings me to my final thoughts. My final thoughts is I feel like y'all should have just run away. I feel like y'all should have just found something else productive to do. Because why drag your family into this? But then again, on the other hand, why drag countless innocent people into this? There was just no right about this, period. And I really don't even know what to do or say about a case like this. I think the easy answer is to look at Robert and Michael Bever and say they were evil. End of story. And listen, what they did was absolutely evil, and I truly don't think any good resides in them. It was stupid, it was uncalled for, it was senseless. Crystal and baby Autumn had to grow up without their parents, without their family. They never got to see what their siblings could become. Crystal doesn't have dad to talk to anymore or walk her down the aisle or mom to go prom dress shopping with or talk about dating with or just be with to stay up late and watch TV like they used to do because that was their routine. So that does not go away. I lost my dad 10 years ago and there are still nights where I lay awake crying because I miss my dad, you know? But to them, it's like even the more so because they lost mom, dad, and their siblings. Five people lost their lives. Three of them were children. Crystal was nearly killed, and baby Autumn was supposed to die too. They did detail what they wanted to do to baby Autumn, but I just me personally, I just didn't want to repeat it. They did all this so that people could know their name. And it's just like, yeah, now we know your name. But no one can ever forget what you did and no one will ever forgive you for what you did. The sickening part about this is the fact that they wanted more. They wanted more victims, more attention, more notoriety. Like what would have happened? Like, would it have helped if y'all just had friends? Like, what was the reason? I could never blame the Bever parents for how they raise their children. We live in a sick and scary world where children are even hurting children. I saw this thing on TikTok today about the six-year-old that shot his teacher in Virginia. So it's just like, I get it. We live in a very scary world. But at the same time, would it have changed anything if they were allowed to go touch grass every once in a while? If they had age appropriate friends, we will never know. And I do feel like they were just bored, but I want to be clear, that excuses nothing because you can be bored. Like if you're bored, tap the house a little bit. You know, dirty up your room a little bit. But don't, don't kill someone. Take up art. Like do something else. Y'all had plenty of internet, honestly. Why were y'all even bored? I can acknowledge the abuse and neglect they went through and hold them accountable at the same damn time. Robert and Michael may have grown up in relatively unhealthy household. And Robert and Michael still made choices that destroyed their family. They were loved by their parents. Just a little too isolated, in my opinion. But again, as a parent myself, I understand. Like people are just like, why would you isolate your children? I get it. I get it. I get it. This world is just so evil. I get it. And I think Michael's role is probably the part of this case that people would debate forever. Was Robert the mastermind? I think the evidence does clearly point in that direction. Was Michael heavily influenced by his older brother? Probably. Do I believe a socially isolated 16 year old could be manipulated by the person who was his everything? Absolutely. But there comes a point where Michael, you just gotta take accountability for your actions. Like you just gotta be a man and be like, you know what? Yes, I went along with his plan. It was his plan, but I thought it was a great plan. Because the fact that you are still to this day, like, I didn't do any of this, you're full of it. You're absolutely full of it. You were just, you were just as much to blame as Robert. Because Daniel could still be alive if you had not bamboozled him into thinking that you needed a safe place. Christopher and Victoria would still be alive if you had not bamboozled them into thinking you needed a safe place. Period. You destroyed the phone that Daniel used to call 911. And you went on the run with Robert. Those are choices. Those are choices. And you don't get to blame other people for your decisions. I'm sorry. You just don't. And y'all don't get to blame your parents either. Like, did you guys have the best upbringing? No. No. We can we can all admit to that. But I want to reiterate if you just give it time. The the worst that'll happen is you'll get older. And when you get older, you start making decisions for yourself. And then you can do life your way. That's it. That's all. Just keep your head down and tarry on. Like, damn. Why everybody gotta be like, my gosh, I'm so sad I gotta do murder about it. Please. Like enough is enough. And then there's Robert. Robert, you thought hiding under a bush behind your house was top tier planning? You thought y'all could really be ninjas. You really thought that one stab wound was gonna kill a grown ass woman. And I mean it could, don't get me wrong. Because we've heard of lots of cases where like that's all it took. You know, you were not you were never gonna make it through the whole house without somebody waking up. Ever. Robert is interesting because years later he gets on the witness stand and essentially tries to take any blame for the murders away from Michael. And I do wanna I want the rationale of why he did that. Like why recant your statement and say, you know what, Michael didn't do anything. I do feel like he was trying to protect his brother, but it's like your brother, your brother's still a murderer. Or do y'all think he was trying to protect his brother? So that he can finish the plan. Like I'm genuinely curious. I I really do want to know why that was. But we may never know. We won't ever know what what happened in every room of that house. Only a handful of people truly know, and most of them did not make it. May their souls rest in eternal peace. But the thing that stands out to me most about the Bever case is not Robert. It's not Michael. It's Crystal. Crystal was supposed to be the first person they killed. Like they planned to kill her first and then move along the house. But instead of being the first victim, she became the person who lived to tell everyone what happened. At 13 years old, she fought off an attack from her older brother. She survived devastating injuries, injuries that were meant to kill her. She identified Robert and Michael, and then years later, she found the courage to testify about the worst night of her life. Crystal had to be strong. And she shouldn't have to. She shouldn't have to. She should have been able to be a normal 13-year-old girl. She should have been focused on what are, you know, whether her mom was gonna let her stay up late tonight. She should have been focused on those things. Instead, she was fighting for her life inside of her own home. And that's why I don't want Robert and Michael's names to be the last that we remember, because that's exactly what Robert would have wanted. He wanted his name to be remembered. And I'm not gonna give him that. I'm not gonna give him that. And that's the messed up part about the true crime world is because sometimes we remember the killers better than the people whose lives they took. So before we finish this episode, I want to be clear and I wanna be sure that we remembered the lives and names of David, April, Daniel, Christopher, and Victoria Bever, five people who should have had decades of life ahead of them. And also Crystal and Autumn Bever, two girls who survived what should have been the destruction of their entire family. Researching this case, I found myself wondering how Autumn's life has been. Remember, she was And she wasn't even two. She was getting ready to turn to. Like they said they even found her second birthday cake in the fridge after they investigated the house. So I just wonder like how she how she did. Like, because by now, this happened in twenty fourteen and she was two. So that was fourteen years ago. She'd be sixteen. No. No. How old would she be? my gosh. She was born in two thousand twelve. She'll be fourteen. She'll be fourteen today. And so it just makes me wonder, like, how she's doing. Does she know? Does she know what she lived through? Are her parents and siblings' memories being kept alive? Does she have some piece of them outside of the Bever name that she's able to hold on to? I'm not gonna lie, I'm happy the house burned down and a garden grew out of ashes, but that still does not ease Crystal's pain or Autumn's pain. This is the end that Robert never planned for. The house is gone, they're behind bars with no release date, and Crystal and Autumn survive and they get to live a beautifully private life the way their parents intended. And that's the end of our show. Follow me on TikTok, Minor Mischief Pod on Instagram, Minor Mischief Podcast. Case suggestions, wanna chat, want to kiki, want to cackle a little bit, minor mischiefpodcast at gmail.com. Thank you guys so much. You guys have left some beautiful, positive, encouraging words in the comments. And when I tell you, it has made my heart smile. It has given me everything I need to just keep going. I really, really, really love you guys to life for that. And We're just gonna keep going. We're just, you know, we're gonna onwards and upwards, friends. That's what we're gonna do. Now, you guys probably have noticed if you're listening on Spotify that there are two commercials at the beginning of the episodes. if y'all could please just listen to those. It's not gonna be long. If it's more than two, please let me know. Cause I specifically said no more than two. And I know sometimes I listen to podcasts and it's like five commercials, but I said two. But that's how I get paid. So if y'all could just listen to those two commercials at the beginning of the episode, thank you. That would give me the opportunity to make a little money and to convert this podcast to video because that is what I would like to do at some point. So I really appreciate you guys for listening. Thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you, thank you so much for the bottom of my heart. God bless you all. Each and every one of you. and yeah, I'll see you guys next week. We'll talk soon. It was, you know, great talking to you guys again. We'll chat next week, same time, same place, same day of the week. New episodes drop on Thursdays. And until next week, stay mischievous, friends.