Teen who murdered baseball player Blake Bevins' wife, toddler son and mother-in-law has been put on suicide watch
PITTSYLVANIA, VIRGINIA: A 19-year-old man accused of murdering the wife, child, and mother-in-law of Tama Bay Rays pitching prospect Blake Bivens has been placed on suicide watch.
We previously reported that Matthew Thomas Bernard, Bivens' brother-in-law, was arrested in connection to the deaths of his elder sister Emily, his 62-year-old mother Joan, and his one-year-old nephew Cullen after leading police on a three-hour manhunt on August 27.
He was scheduled to make his first appearance in court on August 29, but the hearing was abruptly canceled due to an unknown medical issue.
According to WSET, which obtained a criminal complaint filed in connection to the case, Bernard had been taken to the hospital after his arrest because he was banging his head against the cage inside a police vehicle after his capture.
He was first transported to an emergency room and then to an area hospital to be examined and treated for his injuries, after which he was booked into jail in the early hours of August 28.
A mugshot of Bernard made public by the Pittsylvania County Sheriff's Office shows the 19-year-old with gauze bandages covering his head, his ears, and a portion of his throat. Some scratches are also visible on his forehead.
While the Medical Examiner's Office in Roanoke is yet to officially determine the cause and manner of the deaths, the criminal complaint has revealed some of the gruesome details of the murders.
The neighbor who found Joan's body on the driveway of Bivens' home on Keeling drive that morning and kicked off the hunt for Bernard said the 19-year-old had first punched her in the arm before running away.
She said that, after he ran away, she heard multiple gunshots coming from the home next door. She said she found Joan's body when she went to check, and then alerted the police.
The investigator from the PCSO who was the first to arrive at the scene found the bodies of Emily and Cullen inside the home. He reported that the two victims had visible gunshot wounds to the head and that 30-30 caliber shell casings were located near all three bodies.
Investigators also found a bloody sledgehammer in the garage and recovered a 30-30 rifle that is believed to be the murder weapon from the wooded area behind the home.
During a press conference held on August 28, Pittsylvania County Sheriff Michael Taylor said they did not have a motive. "We won't go into the whys because we don't know yet. We're trying to figure that out ourselves. I think that (Bivens) has questions, just as we all do at this point."
Jenn Stellard, one of Bernard's cousins, came out to reveal that the 19-year-old was suffering from mental illness and had reached a "breaking point."
"Unfortunately, he was suffering from mental illness and came to a breaking point," she said. "Matthew is my cousin and I will love him and be there for him if I am ever able to because what the public has seen was not him at all and as a family, we would never imagine this could have happened."
Bernard has been charged with three counts of first-degree murder and use of a firearm during a felony and is being held without bond.