Naman Shrestha
In November 2009, an Oklahoma City home became a gruesome crime scene as it was not only up in flames but also had the remains of four individuals inside, including Brooke Phillips and Casey Barrientos. Shockwaves were sent across the entire community as the news of the horrific killings broke out. The episode titled ‘Fatal Escort’ of Investigation Discovery’s ‘Lethally Blonde’ delves deep into the murders and the extensive investigation that followed. As the detectives dug deeper, they were led to more than one perpetrator responsible for the massacre.
Brooke Phillips and Casey Barrientos Were Found Dead Inside a Burning Oklahoma City Home
Born in the late 1980s, Brooke Phillips became a part of the HBO reality show ‘Cathouse’ in 2007 and began working as a sex worker at the Moonlite Bunny Ranch, a legal brothel located near Carson City, Nevada. In 2009, she was pregnant and looking forward to becoming a mom. On the fateful day of November 9, 2009, she was hanging out with a group of people, including 32-year-old Casey Mark Barrientos, 22-year-old Milagros Barrera, who was also pregnant at the time, and 25-year-old Jennifer Ermey, in a residence in a well-kept neighborhood of Oklahoma City. Soon, firefighters responded to a fire in the house.
As they extinguished the flames, they entered the house and found Brooke, Casey, Milagros, and Jennifer dead. When the authorities arrived at the scene, they found Brooke and Casey fatally shot and stabbed, alongside two other women. The detectives found shell casings from two different handguns at the scene, along with knives, drug paraphernalia, a small amount of marijuana, and ammunition. Furthermore, Casey’s large diamond-and-white-gold necklace, matching earrings, and bracelet were not recovered at the scene. The medical examiner determined that the probable cause of death for Brooke was a gunshot wound to the right temple. She was also stabbed and slashed multiple times.
Brooke and Casey’s Murders Were Committed by a Group of Men Related to Casey
During the investigation, a witness named Jose Fierro told the detectives that David Allen Tyner was having an argument with one of the victims when the shooting began. The witness claimed that David also chased him out of the house after the massacre. On November 17, 2009, David reportedly surrendered to the police after an arrest warrant was obtained for him in connection with the murders. He was later arraigned on six counts of first-degree murder and held without bond. Believing that David was not the only one responsible for the killings, the investigators also linked Denny Phillips to the crime. At the time, Denny was also wanted for the burglary of Tulsa Police Sergeant Mike Huff’s home, from where his badges, guns, and uniform were stolen.
On the evening of November 25, 2009, Tulsa Police located Denny at a motel near 11th and Garnett in Tulsa. When the officers, US Marshals, and ATF agents closed in on the suspect, he ran down a breezeway before pointing a gun at the authorities. Before he could pull the trigger, the officers shot him thrice in the lower body. Thus, he was rushed to a local Tulsa hospital, where he recovered from his injuries. Upon digging deeper into his past, the police learned that Denny had been to prison for several crimes in Mayes County, including a stabbing, theft, and escape. He had been incarcerated between December 1996 and May 2007. Dennis was also charged with six counts of first-degree murder and one count of conspiracy in connection with the killings of the four individuals and two unborn children of Brooke and Milagros.
According to investigative reports, David rode to Oklahoma City with Russell Hogshooter and a man named Jonathan Cochran, with the intention of killing and robbing Casey, under the instruction of Denny Phillips, who wanted to take over Casey’s drug operation. David alleged that Denny had threatened to kill his family if he didn’t follow his instructions and carry out the killing. When David, Russell, and Johnathan showed up at the Oklahoma City residence, they first shot and killed Casey before killing the women in the house to prevent them from being witnesses. As per David, Russell set the house on fire before driving away from the scene and disposing of the pistols and burning their blood-stained clothing. Thus, Jonathan and Russell were also arrested for their involvement in the killings.
Denny and Russell Are on Probation, While David is Seemingly Incarcerated at an Oklahoma Prison
More than a year later, in January 2011, during the preliminary hearing of David Allen Tyner, Jose Fierro testified against him. “I heard a lot of gunshots. It was loud. It was just ongoing,” Jose said during his testimony. The defense argued that Jose’s testimony is unreliable because he was intoxicated at the time of the shooting. The prosecution also highlighted the testimony of David’s cousin, who claimed that he had talked to her about the killings and asked if she could be the getaway driver. The cousin testified that David was Casey’s bodyguard and was frustrated about being underpaid. She also told the jury that her boyfriend, Denny Phillips, was also involved in the murders. Eventually, David and Jonathan pleaded guilty and agreed to testify against Denny and Russell Hogshooter, who pleaded not guilty.
David avoided the death penalty and received six consecutive life sentences without the possibility of parole. In June 2016, during the trial of Denny and Russell, Jonathan testified against them. In his testimony, David told the jury that he killed Casey, Milagros, and Jennifer because Denny had threatened to kill his family. Jonathan, who was sentenced to 25 years in prison, testified, “I went there under the assumption that somebody else was going to murder someone. I didn’t agree to the murders, but I agreed to go down there.” He also claimed that he saw the remains of three people after entering the home and was instructed by Russell to shoot one of the women, seemingly Brooke. He admitted to firing a couple of rounds but claimed that he purposely missed. Meanwhile, the defense argued that Jonathan’s testimony contained numerous inconsistencies.
Finally, on June 13, 2016, the jury found both Denny and Russell guilty of six counts of murder in connection with the 2009 killing spree. A couple of months later, on August 12, Denny and Russell were sentenced to six life terms in prison without the possibility of parole. A few years later, the two convicts filed a motion to get their convictions overturned, arguing that their defense attorneys were incompetent and that they should have had separate trials. However, in July 2020, the Court of Appeals denied their appeals and upheld their convictions. As of today, 48-year-old Russell Hogshooter and 48-year-old Denny Phillips are seemingly on probation.
