Man charged in death of mom and attempted homicide of brother in Oak Creek
OAK CREEK, Wis. (CBS 58) -- The daughter of an Oak Creek woman killed by her own son earlier this week is speaking out to CBS 58 about the emotional impact the incident had.
Kerena Pierce is doing her best to hold it together for her family, “I can’t believe it really happened. I wish it didn't happen but it happened."
Tuesday morning at Timber Ridge Apartments in Oak Creek, Kerena’s brother Kervin shot and stabbed their mother Bonita and then stabbed their brother Kertwon in the face.
Police say Kervin also hit them both with a blunt object, "You wouldn't think your brother would do that to your mom like that when she's asleep. And then try to shoot your other brother. My brother's thinking he got shot, and he didn't. He don't even know our mom died. It hurts. Because it's not the same person watching my kids,” said Kerena.
Kerena doesn't believe there was any tension in the family. She says that everyone got along for the most part. Full of mixed of emotions and unanswered questions, she tries to remember the good things about her mother, "She was the life of the party. She would walk into a room and everyone would light up," said Kerena.
At only 26-years-old Kerena is now struggling to plan a funeral, support her other siblings and clean out her mother's apartment.
In spite of what happened, she says her love for Kervin is still there, “What he did was out of line, yes. For some reason I still get offended and mad and defend him. But at the same time, he deserves what he gets. You took the last person we had. To support on, you took her from us."
Kerena says her brother Kertwon is out of intensive care but he's still recovering at the hospital. She also says her mother Bonita didn't have life insurance and they need help covering the funeral costs. You can donate to the family's GoFundMe here.
25-year-old Kervin has been charged with first degree intentional homicide, attempt first degree intentional homicide, strangulation and battery.
According to the criminal complaint, Kervin was the one to call police and was immediately arrested when police arrived. The found his mother dead in in her bed with a gunshot wound to the face and the brother unconscious but breathing on the floor next to the bed with a large amount of blood.
After he was taken to the hospital, Kertwon was diagnosed with multiple skull fractures, several lacerations and had bleeding around his brain.
Kervin told police that he felt disrespected by his mom and brother for the past two to three months. The gun used in the homicide was bought by Kervin five months before the incident. He told police he shot his mom five minutes after she went to bed and intended to shoot his brother too but the gun jammed so he pistol whipped him until he was unconscious. Kervin then went into the kitchen and got a knife and tried to stab him in the chest but the knife wouldn’t go through Kertwon’s sweatshirt so he slashed his forehead instead.
While Kervin was at the Milwaukee County Jail after the incident, he grabbed a correctional officer around her neck, threw her to the ground and strangled her. The correctional officer could not call for help and could not breathe. Three inmates intervened by pulling Kervin off and holding him down until security staff arrived.