MILWAUKEE (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. 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.
“He stated that Ms. Banks was not fighting him, so he figured that she wanted to die. The Defendant claimed that he was helping her die,” the complaint said.