Jury recommends men convicted in 'Cathouse' murders be sentenced to life without parole

OKLAHOMA CITY -- (KFOR) -- The jury reached a decision for the punishment of the men convicted in the “Cathouse” murder trial Friday.

The case is known as the “Cathouse murders” because one of the victims was a prostitute on the HBO reality show called “Cathouse.”

For five weeks, the jurors have heard hours of testimony about the brutal murders.

Six people were killed, including two unborn babies.

Denny Phillips and Russell Hogshooter were convicted Monday for conspiracy and six counts of murder.

Prosecutors said Denny Phillips ordered Russell Hogshooter and two other men to kill known drug dealer Casey Barrientos over a dispute involving money.

Attorneys for the state also said three women at the house that night were killed to get rid of them as witnesses.

Brooke Phillips and Milagros Berrera were pregnant.

Defense attorneys argued, the state's two star witnesses, the men who pleaded guilty in the crime already, unfairly avoided death in exchange for testifying on behalf of the state.

The jury was deciding between life in prison, life without parole, or death.

The jury recommended Denny Phillips and Russell Hogshooter both be sentenced to serve life without parole for the six murder charges. Formal sentencing is scheduled for August 11.