MuskogeePhoenix.com, Muskogee, OK

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April 4, 2009

Autopsy reports completed on El Reno victims

EL RENO, Okla. (AP) — Autopsy reports completed this week show a mother and her four children all were wearing sleeping clothes when they were strangled in January in their El Reno apartment.



According to the report by Dr. Marius Tarau, 7-year-old Kirsten Rust, also had injuries to her genital area, but the doctor did not give any possible explanation for those injuries. A prosecutor says he could not comment on the findings.



Twenty-six-year-old ex-convict Joshua Steven Durcho is charged with five counts of first-degree murder. Prosecutors are seeking the death penalty.



He is accused of strangling 25-year-old Summer Rust, her daughters, Kirsten, 7-year-old Autumn, and 3-year-old Evynn Garas, and her son, 4-year-old Teagin Rust.



Durcho's attorneys with the Oklahoma Indigent Defense System have not responded to repeated requests for comment.



All died from "ligature strangulation," meaning they were strangled with something that left marks on their necks.



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Information from: The Oklahoman, http://www.newsok.com

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