A Milwaukee mother and her two daughters were strangled to death by the woman's boyfriend.  

Arzel Ivery, 25, was charged with three counts of first-degree homicide in the deaths of 26-year-old Amarah Banks and her 4-year-old and 5-year-old daughters after authorities found their burned bodies in a parking garage, reports AP News.  

According to HuffPost, Ivery told investigators that he killed his girlfriend and her daughters on February 8 after a fight with Banks. Ivery told authorities that he and Banks got into a fight because she did not agree with his decision to go back to work so soon after their 1-year-old son's funeral. The infant had a history of asthma and died late January from respiratory problems.

In the complaint obtained by HuffPost, Ivery said Banks accused him of not caring about his son and said she did not want to live while brandishing a knife. After Banks cut him on the wrist, Ivery said he pushed her against the wall and strangled her. 

“He stated that Ms. Banks was not fighting him, so he figured that she wanted to die. The Defendant claimed that he was helping her die,” the complaint said.

Ivery said he then killed the girls, 5-year-old Zaniya and 4-year-old Camaria, so that they would not have to live without their mother. He would tell both girls that their mother wanted them in heaven with her before killing them, according to HuffPost. 

“The Defendant stated that it was his family, that he brought his kids into this world and that he can take them out if he wanted,” the complaint said.

Banks’ death is one of several widely reported killings of Black women this year in which a current or former partner has been implicated in their deaths. 

Earlier this week, Georgia police found the body of Fort Valley State University student Anitra Gunn, who was missing since February 15, as Blavity previously reported. Gunn's body was found at 3 p.m. on Tuesday, nearby where she was last seen alive. Her boyfriend, DeMarcus Little, has been interviewed by police three times in connection with Gunn's death and is a person of interest, but no arrest has been made for the murder. Little was arrested for criminal damage to property belonging to Gunn earlier this month. 

In Texas, Jacques Dshawn Smith was taken into custody early February and faces charges of capital murder for killing sisters Deja and Abbaney Mitts, 19 and 21 years old respectively, as Blavity previously reported. The sisters were at Texas A&M University-Commerce when they were killed inside of Pride Rock residence hall. The 2-year-old son of the eldest sister was injured during the attack and is in the custody of family members.