Evidence Released In Michael Bever Murder Trial

A Tulsa County judge has released evidence seen in the Michael Bever murder trial.

A jury convicted Bever on five counts of first-degree murder for the deaths of his parents and three siblings. He was also convicted for assault and battery with intent to kill on a surviving sibling.

The jury recommended life with the possibility of parole for the murder counts and 28 years for the other charge.

Michael’s older brother, Robert, was also arrested for the crimes. He pleaded guilty and is serving life without parole.

Michel Bever’s trial lasted about four weeks and was an emotional process for those involved, especially the jurors, who had to see photos and hear testimony of the violent crime scene. The judge granted a request from News On 6 to see most of the evidence presented during the trial. News On 6 has decided to withhold any images that may be considered gruesome.

The evidence released includes pictures of both Michael and Robert Bever immediately after they were taken into custody.

Pictures of Michael Bever show him shoeless with a ripped shirt and what appears to be blood and mud on him. Similar pictures of Robert Bever show him also covered in blood wearing an armored vest.

Special Coverage: Bever Family Murders

During the trial, the jury heard about a journal that Michael Bever kept while in jail. The prosecution read an excerpt from the journal that read, “Once upon a time, there were two brothers named Robert and Michael. They hated their family, so they killed them. The end.”

In the journal are also several drawings and notes. One page has “Hail Satan!!!” written inside. Another has a drawing of a swastika with “White power!!” written underneath.

The judge also released Michael Bever’s interview with police and a voluntary written statement from Bever.

In the statement, Bever wrote that planning started June 30, 2015, when Robert told him “his plan to kill everyone in…house and then go on a killing spree through the US. I thought it was a great idea and I agreed to join him.”

He then gives details of the plan, saying they were going to “put on our gear” around midnight then described who he and Robert would kill in the home, before staring “the spree.”

He continues to detail what actually happened that night, saying they invited their sister into their room. Michael admits to distracting her as Robert slit her throat and stabbed her from behind.

He said their mother came in the room next and Robert stabbed her. He said the sister ran out of the room, went outside and fell in the driveway before they brought her back into the home.

Michael said some of his siblings locked themselves in a bathroom and that he “begged them to let me in, and they did. I went into the bathroom where…was and I stabbed him in the neck.” Michael admitted he stabbed Christopher but said he didn't believe he killed anyone. He said Robert went inside the rooms where their siblings were hiding and attacked them.

Detective: "Who'd you stab?"
Michael: "My younger brother, Christopher."
Detective: "What was Christopher doing when you stabbed him?"
Michael: "He was laying on the bathroom floor. Robert was also stabbing him and Robert asked me to cover over and help him, so I stabbed Christopher with it."
Detective: "Was Christopher still alive when you stabbed him?"
Michael: "Yes."
Detective: "What was he saying and doing?"
Michael: "He was screaming."

One of the victims, 12-year-old Daniel, was able to call 911, which allowed police to respond when they did. The judge released part of that call:

Dispatch: "Broken Arrow 911."
Daniel: "Help"
Dispatch: "Broken Arrow 911."
Daniel: "Help."
Dispatch: "Hello?"
Daniel: "Help."
Dispatch: "Hi. Where are you at?"
Daniel: "Broken Arrow, Oklahoma. 7411
Dispatch: "What address?"
Daniel: *inaudible*
Dispatch: "Are you the only one there?"
Daniel: "No. My brother's attacking my family."
Dispatch: "Your dad is attacking your family?"
Daniel: "No my brother. Help."
Dispatch: "Okay, who's attacking your family?"
Daniel: "What?"
Dispatch: "Who's attacking your family?"
Daniel: "Yes."
Dispatch: "Who is it?"
Daniel: *inaudible*
Dispatch: "Do they have..."
Daniel: *inaudible* "No, Michael." *inaudible*

Officers captured the brothers and took pictures of them covered in blood and mud about 45 minutes after the 911 call.

We are including parts of Michael Bever's interview with a detective following the teen's arrest. The interview is lengthy so we're not posting it in its entirety.

The first video shows a Broken Arrow detective asking Michael to take him through the crime planning stages, to start at the beginning. Michael said they began talking about "murder and rampage and stuff like that" about two months before the crime.

"I didn't take it seriously at first, but then he started buying body armor and stuff."

Michael Bever tells the detective about gathering all the weapons and ammunition together and discusses the brothers' plans to imitate other mass murderers like the Columbine students and James Holmes, the Colorado movie murderer.

He also gave details about how the plan went awry when his then 13-year-old sister screamed after being stabbed.

Michael: "She's standing at my desk. He came up behind and slit her throat then she fell down screaming."
Detective: "And then he stabbed her some more?"
Michael: *nods yes*
Detective: "When he was stabbing her more, where was he stabbing her?"
Michael: "Her neck. Her neck and stomach."

Michael had three knives but was no longer wearing his bullet proof vest.

He told detectives they didn't get to finish their plan of picking up their guns and ammo then starting the killing spree.

Detective: "Who else were you going to kill? Just whoever you ran into?"
Michael: "Yeah. He said five at a time at gas stations and restaurants."