The Joplin Globe, Joplin, MO

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November 18, 2009

Oklahoma: Drugs, ammo found at home with four bodies

The Associated Press

OKLAHOMA CITY — Police found guns, knives and a small amount of marijuana in the burned home where four people — including a prostitute featured on an HBO reality series — were found shot to death earlier this month, a search warrant affidavit filed Wednesday says.

The affidavit also said that one of the three female victims had cuts on her stomach, face and neck. The affidavit shows police recovered shell casings from two different handguns, along with several knives, ammunition, drug paraphernalia and about seven grams of marijuana.

Police have identified those killed as Milagrous C. Barrerra, 22, of Mustang; Brooke Phillips, 22, of Moore; Jennifer Lynn Ermey, 25, of Edmond; and Casey Mark Barrientos, 32, of Oklahoma City. Barrientos and Ermey were positively identified on Wednesday, police Sgt. Gary Knight said.

Phillips had worked at the Moonlite BunnyRanch, a legal brothel near Carson City, Nev. that is featured in HBO show “Cathouse.”

Firefighters responding to a house fire on Nov. 9 discovered the four bodies inside the home in a well-kept neighborhood on the city’s southwest side.

On Tuesday, David Allen Tyner, 28, of Locust Grove, surrendered to authorities on a warrant that included six murder complaints. Authorities said two of the victims — Phillips and Barrerra — were pregnant.

Tyner has not been formally charged with any crime.

Police have not determined a motive in the slayings, Knight said, but investigators believe there was more than one suspect.

Oklahoma County District Attorney David Prater said he will wait until police finish their investigation before filing any charges. He also said it’s too early to decide whether he will seek the death penalty.

“It’s not completely clear exactly what happened in that house,” Prater said. “Obviously by just doing the body count, many people would assume this would be a death penalty case, but that’s not a decision that we rush into in this office.”

Tyner is being held without bail at the Oklahoma County jail, and Knight said he does not know if Tyner has hired an attorney.

According to a police affidavit, a witness inside the home told police Tyner was arguing with one of the victims when the shooting occurred.

Tyner, a former state champion wrestler, later joined the Marines. After a stint in the military, he became a cage fighter and compiled a 6-1 record in fights in 2006 and 2007.

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