Heartbroken Mom Buries Baby Son — Then Her Ex S.t.r.a.n.g.l.e.s Her and S.l.a.u.g.h.t.e.r.s Their Two Little Girls Hours Later in Cold-Blooded Rage
In the quiet hours following one of the most devastating days of her young life, Amarah “Jerica” Banks should have been surrounded by love and grief for her lost child. Instead, tragedy struck again — this time with unimaginable brutality that would claim her own life and the lives of her two precious daughters.
On February 7, 2020, the 26-year-old Milwaukee mother laid her 21-month-old son, Arzel Ivery Jr., to rest. The toddler had tragically passed away from bronchitis just days earlier. Jerica, described by family as a loving, artistic soul who graduated from the Milwaukee School of the Arts and cherished playing the violin, clung to her two surviving daughters — five-year-old Zaniya Ivery and four-year-old Camaria Banks — as they mourned together.
But the night of the funeral became a nightmare. According to authorities, Jerica’s ex-boyfriend and Zaniya’s father, Arzel Ivery, arrived at her apartment in the early morning hours. What began as an emotional argument over the recent loss quickly spiraled into horror. Ivery, overwhelmed by rage, allegedly strangled Jerica during the confrontation. In a chilling act of cruelty, he then turned his attention to the sleeping children. He reportedly told investigators he didn’t want them to grow up without their mother, kissing Zaniya and whispering “Daddy loves you” before ending her life, then doing the same to little Camaria.
A concerned neighbor heard screams and called 911. Police responded to the domestic disturbance, but they left without thoroughly searching the building. Jerica was still alive when officers departed. No one could have imagined the full extent of the devastation inside.
For eight agonizing days, Jerica, Zaniya, and Camaria were missing. Family grew desperate, an Amber Alert was eventually issued, and the community held its breath. The truth emerged only when Ivery fled to Memphis, Tennessee, and confessed to his own father. He provided details leading investigators to a garage near 47th and Burleigh streets in Milwaukee, where the bodies of the mother and her daughters were discovered — tragically burned in an attempt to conceal the crimes.
The triple homicide sent shockwaves through Milwaukee. Jerica was remembered as a devoted mother who would do anything for her children. Zaniya and Camaria were bright, innocent little girls whose lives were stolen far too soon. Family members later confronted Ivery in court, calling him “evil” and expressing the unimaginable pain of losing not just one child, but an entire generation of their family in a single night of violence.
Ivery eventually pleaded guilty to three counts of first-degree intentional homicide. In July 2021, a judge sentenced him to life in prison without the possibility of parole, ensuring he would never walk free again. Yet for Jerica’s loved ones, no sentence could restore what was taken — a mother who had already buried her baby boy, only to have her own light extinguished along with her daughters’ futures.
This heartbreaking case highlights the hidden dangers that can lurk in domestic relationships strained by grief and unresolved pain. It serves as a painful reminder of how quickly love can turn to loss and the urgent need to protect vulnerable families in moments of deepest sorrow. The memory of Jerica, Zaniya, and Camaria lives on in the hearts of those who knew them — three angels taken too soon from a world that will never be the same.
