Three Carbondale brothers were found not guilty on charges of first degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm after a seven-hour-and-20-minute jury deliberation Thursday.

Charlie Pugh, 35, Ray Pugh, 27, and James Pugh, 34, were charged with first degree murder and aggravated discharge of a firearm. They pleaded not guilty to the charges and said their gunshots were a means of self-defense.

The jury of left the courtroom around 3:30 p.m. and returned with the verdict at around 11 p.m.

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Last week, defense attorney Paul Christenson said there was no evidence to prove the charges against the Pughs and that there was no question that the jury reached the correct verdict.

The three brothers spent last week fighting charges in connection with the1992 shooting. The incident occurred on the 200 block of North Washington Street, known as the Levy.

Stanley Schauf, 23, was shot and killed during the incident, and Gerald L. Armour, 30, is serving 15 years in prison for firing the shot that killed him.

Armour took the stand last week and said he felt Schauf’s death was a result of the Pugh’s actions. He said it was Charlie Pugh who fired the first shot.

Prosecuting attorneys said the primary focus of the states attorney’s case was murder. He said the minimum prison sentence the brothers would have received if found guilty would have been 20-years.

Prosecuting attorneys, Patrick Daly and Mark Hammrock said they were disappointed with the verdict.