Oklahoma man pleads guilty in deaths of woman, 4 kids
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An Oklahoma man accused in the deaths of his ex-girlfriend and her four children has pleaded guilty to five counts of first-degree murder, thus avoiding a death sentence.
Joshua Durcho pleaded guilty Friday before Canadian County District Judge Gary Miller. Under the terms of the plea deal, 29-year-old Durcho agreed to serve five consecutive life prison sentences without the possibility of parole.
Jury selection for his trial had been set to begin Monday.
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Durcho was accused in the January 2009 strangulation deaths of 25-year-old Summer Rust and her children in the family's El Reno apartment. The children were: 3-year-old Evynn Garas; 4-year-old Teagin Rust; and 7-year-old Kirsten and Autumn Rust.
Prosecutors allege Durcho also sexually abused the 7-year-old girls.
Prosecutors had sought the death penalty.