Jury cannot reach verdict in penalty phase

COLUMBIA, Mo. -- A judge on Friday recommended the death penalty for a man convicted of three counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of his girlfriend and two of his family members.

A Henry County jury deliberated for about five hours Friday before announcing around 8:45 p.m. that they could not decide between death and life in prison for Deandra Mekel Buchanan.

The same jury on Thursday found Buchanan guilty of killing his aunt, his stepfather and his girlfriend.

Jurors were selected from Henry County in western Missouri, where both sides hoped to avoid the possibility of jurors being tainted by pretrial media coverage.