7-1-2009 Michigan:When Uvon Bevins petitioned a Washtenaw County court for a personal protection order against her adult son in late 2000, she feared for her life.
"Last night he yelled all night that he was going to kill me today," Bevins, who also used the name Yvonne, wrote in a hand-written note attached to a court filing seeking a personal protection order for herself and her husband. "He said that when he decides to shoot himself again, he's going to take us with him."
That fear expressed more than eight years ago came true this past weekend when Ira Bevins Jr. shot his mother dead in her Ypsilanti Township home and set it on fire. He was killed minutes later by Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputies in a confrontation less than a half-mile from the house.
When he died early Sunday morning, Bevins was out on bond, awaiting a July 20 jury trial on a rape charge.
Bevins, who had a history of alcohol problems, was anxious about the case, which was fast approaching trial after nearly a year of delays and legal wrangling since the alleged assault occurred, a police investigator said.
"He was upset about his case and had been out drinking that day," said Detective Sgt. JIm Bundshuh of the Michigan State Police, who is investigating both shootings. "He eventually ended up at his mother's, but we're still trying to understand everything that occurred."
The shootings came one month after Washtenaw Circuit Judge David Swartz discontinued required alcohol testing of Bevins at the request of Bevins' public defense attorney, who argued that he had passed all the tests in the months after his arrest on the rape charge.
Bevins was charged with first-degree criminal sexual conduct, stemming from an incident that occurred on the late night and early morning of Aug. 4 and 5, 2008.
According to testimony from the victim, she and Bevins had become reacquainted at Alcoholics Anonymous events. On Aug. 4, she and her 4-year-old daughter visited her deceased mother's house, located around the corner from Bevins' house.
The victim testified that over the course of the evening she and Bevins drank. She said she doesn't remember much more about the night, other than that she woke up without her shorts or underwear on. She went to the hospital and had a rape examination.
Bevins was free after posting 10 percent of a $15,000 bond. As part of the bond conditions, he was required to undergo regular alcohol testing. Court records show he passed all those tests and that Swartz discontinued that condition of his bond at the end of May.
In arguing for a higher bond, Washtenaw County Assistant Prosecutor Samuel Holtz had described Bevins as someone who had a long history with police.
"He is what is known as a nasty drunk," Holtz said. "(That) manifests itself into assaultive behavior ..."
In her Dec. 29, 2000, request for a personal protection order, Yvonne Bevins said her son had a long battle with mental illness and had been sent to various mental hospitals for treatment.
She wrote that in the previous six months he had become "very uncontrollable," and she described his threats against her and her now-deceased husband, who was Ira Bevins' father, including kicking down their bedroom door at one point. She also noted that he had shot and wounded himself in January 1994.
A judge granted that PPO.
On April 28, 2001, Bevins pleaded guilty to violating that PPO and was sentenced to 45 days in the county jail, with 30 days suspended, court records show.
Then on July 2, 2001, Yvonne Bevins wrote the court again, asking for the personal protection order to be lifted.
"I don't think a PPO is a good idea. Since I got the PPO on him, he has made a very big improvement."
A judge terminated the PPO on July 5, 2001. ..Source.. by David Jesse | The Ann Arbor News
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Ypsilanti Township man killed by police suspected of killing his mother
6-29-2009 Michiugan:
A 43-year-old Ypsilanti Township man shot his mother to death and then set her home ablaze before being killed himself minutes later by police responding to the scene, authorities said.
Ira Bevins was shot and killed early Sunday morning by a Washtenaw County Sheriff's deputy near the corner of Wendell and Redleaf streets, just a few blocks from where firefighters battled a blaze at the Bevins family home on Pageant Street.
Inside the home, firefighters found the body of Uvon Bevins, 66, who had been shot, said Detective Sgt. Jim Bundshuh of the Michigan State Police. ..Source..
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