MONTEGUT, La. - A rape suspect hired two men to kill his victim so she could not testify, but the pair killed the man's sister and another woman instead, Terrebonne Parish Sheriff Timothy Soignet said Monday.

The two women who were shot to death were attempting to protect the rape victim and fight off the killers. The killing happened at a home in Montegut in mid-January.

Officials say Beaux Cormier hired two men, 22-year-old Dalvin Wilson and 25-year-old Andrew Eskine to murder the victim. All three men face charges in the double killing and are in jail.

Authorities say Wilson arrived at the home on Jan. 13 where he encountered Cormier's sister Brittany, who told the shooter she was the rape victim likely in an attempt to save the real victim.

The shooter shot and killed Cormier, and a second woman, who was also in the home, 37-year-old Hope Nettleton. Officials say Nettleton attempted to fight off the shooter.

"The shooter asking for the rape victim by name, and Brittany Cormier tells the shooter she's the rape victim, accepting her fate to save the life of the victim," Soignet said. "There were good people that ended up dying... it's really hit that community hard."

Sheriff Soignet says Nettleton was Brittany Cormier's neighbor and happened to be at the residence at the time of Wilson's arrival.

Both Wilson and Eskine confessed to their roles in the killings as Wilson used Eskine's vehicle to commit the crime, Sheriff Soignet said.

Cormier has been arrested for third-degree rape of a family member and likely faced a substantial sentence if convicted as a registered sex offender, according to the sheriff's office.

All three of the suspects were arrested and have a $2 million bond.

“The death penalty is definitely on the table,” District Attorney Joe Waitz Jr. said