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Jury Urges Death In Murders Over Paternity Results

RIVERSIDE (AP) — A California jury has recommended the death penalty for a man convicted of murdering his wife and her daughter after a paternity test showed he wasn't the child's father.

The Press-Enterprise reports that the Riverside County Superior Court jury returned the penalty-phase verdict against 55-year-old Michael Barbar on Friday.

Barbar was convicted last month of murdering wife Maysam Barbar and her 6-year-old daughter, Tamara, in November 2009.

Prosecutors said Barbar had helped raise the child since birth but became suspicious after discovering his wife had three separate affairs.

Authorities said Barbar first strangled his wife with a computer cord, then bashed the girl's head into a bedpost as many as 20 times.

A sentencing date is expected to be set in a Friday afternoon court session.

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» Jury: Man Killed Wife, 6-Year-Old Girl Over Paternity Results

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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