Man Decapitates 5-year-old Sister in Front of Police Officer

Samantha Revelus, 17, called 9-1-1 as she lay bleeding on the floor of the family's Milton, MA, apartment after her brother, Kerby Revelus, stabbed her numerous times. She explained to the dispatcher that Kerby, 23, had attacked her and her 9-year-old sister, Saraphina, with a butcher knife. The responding officer couldn't get an answer at the door; he decided to kick it down. Suddenly, the door flung open, and the officer witnessed Kerby holding his 5-year-old sister, Bianca, and running a knife across her neck with such force that it decapitated her head. All this happened while the kids' 80-year-old grandmother was in the basement doing laundry, unaware of the horror unfolding upstairs in her apartment.

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On March 28, 2009, Samantha Revelus, 17, called 9-1-1, telling the dispatcher that her brother, 23-year-old Kerby Revelus, had stabbed her multiple times and was attacking her two younger sisters. 

Police arrived at the Milton, MA, home in about five minutes. When the officer did not get an answer at the door, he kicked it in, only to witness Kelby holding his 5-year-old sister, Bianca, and slide a butcher knife across her neck so forcefully that it decapitated her head.

Kerby ran into a bedroom where his 9-year-old sister, Saraphina, fearfully hunkered in a corner, and Samantha lay dead.

Officers rushed into the bedroom and ordered Kerby to put down the knife and surrender. He instead lunged toward Saraphina as she screamed, stabbing her a total of 10 times. Officers opened fire, fatally shooting Kerby. He fell to the floor, still clutching the butcher's knife used to slaughter his siblings.

Saraphina was treated at a local hospital and survived her injuries.

Jessica, an older sibling who moved out of the home due to Kerby's explosive temper and aggressive behavior, told The Boston Herald of her brother, "No one was scared of him; he just has a temper. Anything would set him off.

He had a lengthy criminal history with several arrests for violent behavior, including in August 2004 after fighting with a group of teenagers and a September 2005 assault and battery charge after Jessica called police and told them that Kerby punched her in the face over an argument over a phone bill. She declined to pursue charges. Kerby was also charged with carrying a firearm without a license in December 2005. He served six months in jail and was released.

Days earlier, Kerby and a neighbor got into a fistfight. Police suspect that he was still agitated from the fight and took his anger out on the people who loved him most. It's unclear exactly what set him off on that particular day.

The children's parents, Regina and Vronze Revelus, were not home at the time of the incident. 

Despite Kerby's violent history, his family never feared him. Jessica said that she was not 'afraid' of him and never imagined he could be capable of doing something so horrific to his sisters. Jessica did tell reporters that he and Samantha argued frequently, and she tried to steer clear of him.

The four officers involved in the shooting of Kerby Revelus were not charged. The District Attorney's Office determined the shooting was justified as Kerby posed a threat to his sister, officers, and others.

Rest in peace, Samantha and Bianca—my deepest condolences to Mr. and Mrs. Revelus and the surviving family members. They lost three children, and my heart aches for them.

Note: Depending on the source, the 9-year-old girl's name is spelled as both Saraphina and Sarafina. 

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Sources:

https://www.bostonherald.com/2009/03/30/anything-would-set-him-off-killer-brothers-sister-says/

https://www.patriotledger.com/story/news/courts/2009/04/17/district-attorney-finds-revelus-shooting/40248435007/

https://www.bostonherald.com/2009/06/28/kin-find-strength-after-tragedy/