TULSA, Okla. (AP) - An Oklahoma judge has delayed the trial for one of two brothers charged in the 2015 stabbing deaths of five family members so both sides can gather more evidence about his mental health.
District Judge Sharon Holmes rescheduled the trial for 18-year-old Michael Bever on Monday after discussing Bever’s intent to pursue a not guilty plea by reason of insanity, the Tulsa Word (https://bit.ly/2qg0p2l ) reported. The trial was scheduled to begin June 5, but the judge rescheduled it for Aug. 28. A discovery hearing is expected to take place three weeks prior to the trial.
Chief Public Defender Rob Nigh said Monday that a report from Dr. Terese Hall supports Bever’s case. District Attorney Steve Kunzweiler has contested the assessment and will have Bever undergo another evaluation with a state expert, Dr. Shawn Roberson.
Kunzweiler said it’s unlikely the new assessment would have been completed in time for a June trial.
Authorities allege that Bever and his older brother, Robert Bever, killed their parents and three of their siblings, ages 5, 7 and 12. Two other siblings survived the July 2015 attack at the family’s home in Broken Arrow, a Tulsa suburb.
Michael Bever has pleaded not guilty to five counts for first-degree murder and one count of assault and battery with intent to kill. He is ineligible to receive capital punishment because he was 16 at the time of the killings. But he could face life in prison without parole if convicted, because he is charged as an adult.
Robert Bever, who was 18 at the time of the killings, pleaded guilty in the case and was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
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Information from: Tulsa World, https://www.tulsaworld.com
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