Horrific Details Released in Murders of Mom, 2 Daughters

Police say suspect strangled his girlfriend, then did the same to her girls
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted Feb 18, 2020 6:30 PM CST
Man Allegedly Told Girls, 'Daddy Loves You,' Then Killed Them
Arzel J. Ivery is seen in an undated photo provided by the Shelby County, Tenn., Sheriff's Office.   (Shelby County, Tenn. Sheriff's Office via AP)

A Milwaukee man strangled his girlfriend then killed her two young daughters, kissing the girls and telling them their mother wanted them to be in heaven with her, prosecutors said Tuesday. Arzel Ivery, 25, was charged in Milwaukee County with three counts of first-degree intentional homicide in the deaths of 26-year-old Amarah Banks, 5-year-old Zaniya Ivery, and 4-year-old Camaria Banks, the AP reports. Police found their burned bodies in a Milwaukee garage on Sunday afternoon, about a week after Banks was reported missing. Ivery told investigators that he killed his girlfriend and her daughters on Feb. 8 after a fight with Banks. He said she was upset over his decision to go to work as a security guard so soon after the Feb. 7 funeral of their 1-year-old son, Arzel Ivery Jr. Arzel had a history of asthma and died Jan. 24 from respiratory problems, according to autopsy reports.

Ivery said Banks yelled at him that he did not care about their son's death, then she picked up a knife and said she did not want to live, according to the complaint. Ivery said Banks cut his left wrist. He then grabbed Banks, pushed her head into a wall twice and strangled her, according to the complaint. Ivery said he then killed the children because he did not want them to live in a world without their mother, according to the complaint. He went into the children's bedroom, took Zaniya out of the room, kissed her and told her "Daddy loves you” and said her mother wanted her in heaven with her, the complaint said. He then strangled the girl, the complaint said. He then allegedly woke up Camaria and carried out a similar scene. “The Defendant stated that it was his family, that he brought his kids into this world and that he can take them out if he wanted,” the complaint said. He then allegedly burned all three bodies.

(More murder stories.)

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