BROKEN ARROW, Okla. — It's been a decade since two teen brothers killed five members of their family in a Broken Arrow home.
Broken Arrow police described it as one of the worst murder cases in the city. The Bever murders gained national attention at the time.
Robert and Michael killed five members of the Bever family, including David, 52, April, 44, 5-year-old Victoria, 7-year-old Christopher and 12-year-old Daniel.
A 13-year-old survived the attacks alongside a they did not harm a 2-year-old.
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2 News talked to a neighbor who lives behind where the Bever home once stood.
"I wonder about the girls. You know, I think about the boys in prison, not specifically one way or another," said Beale Bernson.
He said the landscape changed after the home was torn down, now having the Reflection Park in his backyard.
"So, you watch over the years as the house changed and it kind of deteriorated. And then I guess a few years later it burned down and they put in the park, and over time I’ve had visits and activity over there, so I kept an eye on it," Bernson said.
Bernson's one of the only direct neighbors still there. He's been in the neighborhood since 1995 and said the area is quiet, so the murders shocked them.
In the years that followed, he reflected on the tragedy, holding onto moments from the past decade.
"Some ask, 'How did it affect you?' Well, I said you hear about things like this all the time around the world, but this one happened to be close," he said.
Bernson showed 2 News a collection of pictures and articles about the tragedy. He said he doesn't often revisit it, but when people ask, he's able to show the files.
He said the stories he's gathered intrigued him because it all happened in his backyard.
Bernson said he briefly saw the family but wasn't social with them. A week before the murders, Bernson said he was outside planting a cactus when he saw most of the family.
"It was the first time I really saw the family as a group. I could have said hi, because they were that close, but I’ve never been the kind of guy who does that," said Bernson.
The cactus, now overgrown, is nicknamed the Bever cactus.
Bernson said another thing he's kept over the years was a time-stamped receipt showing a trip to Wal-Mart close to the time of the murders. He believes he arrived home at the time of the murders, saying that's something that's stuck with him.
"As it turned out, I was in my car. I was going to head to Walmart, and it was 11:15. I’ve got the receipt, and to be crude, that’s exactly when I think when the killings began," Bernson said.
Bernson said the spot he parks in no longer looks at the home, but a park honoring the family he once called neighbors.
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