Maternal grandmother to maintain custody of Sievers children

FORT MYERS, Fla. – Even when sharing intimate moments with his two daughters, Mark Sievers displayed an acute awareness of his surroundings, even at times being short with his mother to prevent her from sharing too much information during recorded phone conversations from the Lee County jail.

“I am tired of this discussion,” he said to his mother, Bonnie, during an April 3 conversation. “There are so many things you want to talk about on this phone that you can not do. Please be respecful.”

“It could be years, Mark,” she replied.

“No, I’m getting out of here as soon as I can,” he said.

After seven of the conversations were played in court on Monday during the second day of testimony, Mark Sievers’ motion to have custody of his daughters, ages 9 and 11, transferred from his mother-in-law to his mother was denied.

Lee County Circuit Court Judge Robert Branning also ruled that the letters Sievers writes to his girls, as well as their jail visits, must be supervised.

Mark Sievers’ wife, Teresa, was found bludgeoned to death inside the couple’s Bonita Springs home in June 2015. His childhood friend, Curtis Wayne Wright, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder as part of an agreement with prosecutors and is expected to testify against him and Jimmy Ray Rodgers, who is also charged with first-degree murder in the alleged murder-for-hire plot.

The children were placed with a family friend following Mark Sievers’ arrest in February. A judge then placed the girls in the custody of their maternal grandmother, Mary Ann Groves, in April.

DCF attorneys argued last week that Bonnie Sievers wasn’t ready to take care of the girls, but the paternal grandmother disagreed with their assessment, saying the children “feel safe with me.”

Phone conversations

Mark Sievers argued with his mother over various details during their phone conversatons, from how to take care of the girls to how to send mail, including detailed instructions on sending medical documents and a picture postcard.

Sievers was also meticulous in telling his daughters about violence, even removing any such references when discussing a book he was reading.

“The first 100 pages, you don’t want to read it, you’ll get mad,” said Sievers, referring to “The Shack,” a book where the protagonist meets God in person. “The first 100 pages is about tragedy, and I don’t want you reading about that stuff.”

Mark Sievers peppered his daughters with questions about their lives, from martial arts to watching “Dancing with the Stars,” doctor’s appointments and checking in with his oldest regarding her medical condition. He also implored them to stay together despite the obstacles they’re facing.

He shared very little information with them about the ongoing custody battle.

“There are other people who are filing for guardanship for you girls,” he said. “I can’t go into that detail right now, but they’re people that we know and love. I can’t go into anymore detail but I want you to know that we’re working on it.”

The girls expressed displeasure in living with Groves.

“We don’t like to be there,” one of the girls said.

Following his first-degree murder indictment, Mark Sievers showed emotion when telling the girls he wouldn’t get out of jail until after the trial.

“We still pray, we don’t get mad at God if we can avoid it because we don’t have God’s plan or timeline,” he said.

One of the girls then started crying.

“I could be in jail over a year waiting for a trial,” he continued. “I don’t want to scare you but I’m just telling you the truth. I want you to know the truth because we tell the truth. That’s what we do to each other.”

Mark Sievers then told his daughters they may lose their house and to collect any personal belongings.

“I can’t pay for a year or two while in jail,” he said.

Mark Sievers expressed his faith multiple times during the phone conversations, including praying with the girls during two separate calls.

“It’s something you know deep inside,” he said of his faith. “I didn’t have that before when I thought i knew God. Jesus has been right next to me my entire life ready to say ‘hi’ and I didn’t know it. And when it happens, it’s like wow.”

When talking about his in-laws, Mark Sievers’ tone became confrontational when mentioning one instance when his girls, while under their care, were in a vehicle without a seatbelt and another when they went swimming at a beach without an adult nearby.

“Even though no one is taking care of them the way I do, I understand,” he said. “I’m over the top, but I do what I can to protect my girls and keep them safe.”

Mark Sievers, who said Groves came back into their lives a month before his arrest, also believes his mother-in-law doesn’t want to keep the girls in Florida.

“She wouldn’t do it when Teresa was alive, she wouldn’t do it now,” he said. “It’s purely a ploy.”

Paternal grandmother testimony 

Groves, who took the stand after the phone calls were played, said the girls have had a good time with her.

“They were a little hesitant at first because of everything that happened in the past, but after being there for a while, they put the past behind them and moved forward,” she said.

Groves said she has had few problems with Bonnie Sievers.

“The only thing I’ve ever done is one time she wanted to have a week with the kids,” she said. “I feel the kids shouldn’t be obstructed during the week. She can see them on the weekend. I don’t see it as an authority. I see it as a responsibility to take care of my granddaughters.”

Groves, who moved to Florida one day after Mark Sievers was arrested, reinstated her desire to keep the girls in the state.

“If anything, I would want to take them for a visit, but I told them many times, I’m not here to take them back to Connecticut,” she said. “I’m here to stay as long as you need me to.”

Groves did object to the idea of having the girls spending one week with her, and another with Bonnie Sievers.

“I don’t think it’s good for them to go back and forth,” she said. “It’s as simple as how I feel. Why would you have them to go back or forth? Then they would have no place to call home.”

Ongoing battle

The first custody hearing took place in December, where after released court documents detailed detectives’ suspicion of Mark Sievers’ involvement in the killing, DCF attorneys argued unsuccessfully that the children should be removed from his care due to the possibility of being harmed if he was arrested.

After his arrest in February, a March custody hearing was continued because Mark Sievers had yet to be served with a petition for dependency from DCF. The document explains why the agency is removing a child from a parent’s custody.

DCF attorneys argued that Groves has the girls’ best interest in mind, letting them make phone calls to their father and other family members.

Teresa Sievers’ family members have complained that Mark Sievers limited his daughters’ interactions with in-laws.