Brothers to stand trial on first-degree murder charges

A judge says there’s enough evidence for two Oklahoma teenagers to stand trial on first-degree murder charges in the stabbings of their parents and three siblings.

Robert Bever, 19, and Michael Bever, 17, have both pleaded not guilty in the July killings of their parents, David and April Bever, and siblings 12-year-old Daniel, 7-year-old Christopher and 5-year-old Victoria.

The bodies were discovered at the family’s home in the Tulsa suburb of Broken Arrow. Two siblings survived.

The judge on Tuesday also set a district court arraignment for Feb. 29.

Autopsy reports show the family members were stabbed dozens of times and died of multiple, sharp-force injuries. David Bever had at least 28 total wounds and April Bever had at least 48.

A detective says Robert Bever occasionally laughed while confessing that he and his brother repeatedly stabbed their parents and siblings, and planned to make videos of the scene before shooting other people.

Broken Arrow Police Detective Eric Bentz testified during a hearing Tuesday that Robert Bever seemed "mildly excited" to discuss the July attack at the family’s home in the Tulsa suburb.

Bentz says Bever explained how he and his 17-year-old brother, Michael, planned to kill their family, stuff their bodies into bins, make a video showing the bodies and put the bins in the attic.

Bever told the detective they then planned to take the family vehicle, along with guns and ammunition, to randomly attack other locations and kill 10 people at each place.