The house where five members of the Bever family were murdered will be brought down and replaced with a memorial garden.
In July 2015, police arrested two brothers, Robert and Michael Bever, after finding the bodies of their parents and three siblings inside the home. Two of the siblings survived and have been placed with a caregiver.
"It's just a symbol of horror," said Julie Wallis six months after the murders. Wallis lives two houses away from the Bever home.
RELATED STORY (2/4/16): Neighbors cope after mass murder in Broken Arrow
In a release from the City of Broken Arrow, City Councilor Mike Lester has set up a 501(c)(3) through the Tulsa Community Foundation to begin collecting private donations to buy the home at 709 Magnolia Ct. Falling the fundraising campaign, the city will take ownership of the property and raze the house.
Once the house is removed, the site will be turned into a park and merged with the existing Indian Springs mini-park bordering the property.
“Each day the home stands vacant is another day that neighbors are reminded of the horrific crime that was committed there,” said Councilor Lester. “It is unfortunate that the home has become a symbol of one of Broken Arrow’s most notorious murders. Our first responders and the entire community need to move on from this tragedy, and I believe that in order for us to truly heal, the house must be replaced with another symbol, one that provides peace and healing.”
The city will hold a press conference on Feb. 24 to announce the plans for the home.
SPECIAL SECTION: Coverage of the Broken Arrow quintuple homicide
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