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Document: Broken Arrow killings: 911 transcript
Two teenage brothers who are charged in the July deaths of five family members may have left plans for a “mass homicide” on a computer thumb drive, according to newly released reports and search warrants in the case.
The city of Broken Arrow on Thursday released nearly 50 pages of documents in response to open records requests filed by the Tulsa World and other media outlets. The documents outline the 911 call on July 22 that led Broken Arrow police officers to the bodies of five members of the Bever family, reportedly stabbed multiple times by 18-year-old Robert Bever and his 16-year-old brother, Michael.
A dispatcher notified police of the 911 call from the home at 11:33 p.m. July 22, and a computer-aided dispatch transcript indicates the dispatcher could hear a lot of screaming in the background and that she could hear “someone trying to be quiet and crying.”
The dispatcher said the call “was placed from a disconnected cell” and that the caller “originally sounded like a young female.” Police have since said they believe one of the younger Bever sons made the 911 call.
“Someone is attacking her family. I can’t get any further info(rmation),” the computer-aided dispatch transcript states, adding that a male could be heard saying “Hello” before the line went dead. “I could hear some comotion (sic) and multiple (people).”
Parents David and April Bever, as well as three of their children — Daniel Bever, 12; Christopher Bever, 7; and Victoria Bever, 5 — were found dead at the residence.
Search warrants filed in Tulsa County District Court on Thursday claim one of the older siblings “spontaneously uttered” that their plans — which remain unspecified — were on a computer thumb drive inside one of the bedrooms.
A Broken Arrow detective who requested search warrants for DNA, blood samples, clothes and a casting of the Bever brothers’ footprints claimed she expected to find “sharp edged weapons” such as knives, swords and machetes in the Bevers’ house; “any electronic devices that can store data of information on the planning and execution of a mass homicide” and associated documents; dark-colored clothing, masks, military-style and tactical clothing; and “documents to establish dominion and control of the residence.”
When asked to provide additional context regarding the search warrants on Thursday, Broken Arrow police officials would not answer whether the Bevers had plans to harm people outside their family. The brothers each face five counts of first-degree murder and one count of assault and battery with intent to kill in the stabbing of their 13-year-old sister who survived. A 2-year-old girl was found unharmed, and she and her sister are in a “safe and secure” location, said attorney Chad McLain, who represents the interests of the children, on Wednesday.
At 11:43 p.m., officers and emergency responders called for backup after finding three stabbing victims, according to the transcript. Two minutes later, dispatch advised that a 19-year-old — later identified in the call as Robert Bever, who police later said is 18 — was armed with a knife.
Authorities reported finding one person in a bedroom near the kitchen and two others, both children, inside a bathroom. The 13-year-old girl who survived the attack identified Robert Bever by name, according to the dispatch transcript.
Police previously reported finding the 13-year-old girl and two others near the front door of the home. Names of the children who died were redacted from the documents, but the Oklahoma State Medical Examiner’s Office previously identified them and reported they died from “multiple sharp force injuries.”
The report of five fatalities at the residence came in at 12:05 a.m. July 23, and Broken Arrow requested that Tulsa police assist with finding the suspects, who were believed to have left the home traveling south on foot.
At 12:14 a.m., a Broken Arrow K-9 dog tracked Robert and Michael Bever about 200 yards southwest of their home, according to the transcript. The search warrant for a casting of their feet claimed there were bloody footprints throughout the house that led to fresh footprints in the backyard, which were tracked by the K-9 dog. Police arrested the pair about five minutes later.
One of the siblings suffered a dog bite from the K-9 and was transported to a Tulsa hospital for evaluation before going to the Broken Arrow Jail and later the Tulsa Jail, dispatchers reported.
A motion filed Friday by the Bevers’ defense attorneys before the siblings were charged requested that the 911 call and police reports be sealed, as well as that the state and counsel for both sides be barred from making extrajudicial statements orally or in writing to the public or anyone not directly involved in the matter. The motions claimed the release of those records and subsequent media reports on their contents would impede a potential jury’s ability to be impartial.
Tulsa County District Judge Bill Musseman denied their request to seal the other documents because they are subject to release under the Oklahoma Open Records Act. However, he said he believed releasing the computer-aided dispatch transcript of the 911 call — rather than the tape — would be sufficient to meet the public’s legal right to know.
Special Judge Deborrah Ludi Leitch entered a not guilty plea for Robert and Michael Bever during their arraignment Monday morning. Neither was present inside the Tulsa County Courthouse but appeared via video, a common practice for initial appearances. Tulsa County District Judge Doris Fransein has previously said neither sibling had a prior criminal history.
Both are set to reappear in court Oct. 28 to finalize a preliminary hearing date.
