Farmer, 25, was one of two men charged with aggravated murder in the Feb. 11, 2019, shooting death of 18-year-old Kamron Johnson. A 2nd District Court jury found Farmer guilty on Nov. 4, he was sentenced Wednesday to 26 years to life in the Utah State Prison.

Renstrom said he initially leaned toward sentencing Farmer to life without the possibility of parole, but “after a great deal of analysis,” he decided on the lesser option. He told Farmer, “The answer is simple. I want to give your little boy someday in his life to know his father. You may someday have the ability to hug your child.”

The judge said he was attaching to the sentence a recommendation to the Utah Board of Pardons and Parole that Farmer not be considered for parole for at least 35 years. Farmer won’t get out anytime soon after that unless he is “a model prisoner,” Renstrom said.

Renstrom said he also was swayed by the arguments Wednesday by Grant Morrison, Farmer’s attorney. Morrison said Farmer had a record of mostly minor crimes and was a daily user of marijuana, methamphetamine, heroin and cocaine.

Photo supplied

“The question comes down to now, is he redeemable? Is anybody possibly redeemable?” Morrison said. “Yes, they are.”

He said prosecutors gave Farmer a glimpse of hope when they took the death penalty off the table in Farmer’s case. With a capital sentence or life without parole, Morrison said, “What chance does he have, what hope does he have?”

Morrison said with an eventual chance of parole, Farmer will have an opportunity to “possibly act and be a different person. Maybe he could be an example for his own son while he’s in prison. He has an opportunity to show he is not a total monster.”

Without it, Morrison said, Farmer “would be left with absolutely no incentive to go anywhere except to cause problems in prison.”

To begin the sentencing hearing, three members of Kamron Johnson’s family spoke of the crime’s devastation and asked Renstrom to impose the maximum sentence. Under state law, a non-death penalty aggravated murder convictions gives the judge to option of imposing a sentence of an indeterminate 25 years to life or a sentence of life without the possibility of parole. The 26th year in Farmer’s sentence is due to a weapons enhancement.

Eric Johnson Jr. was the main target of the robbery and shooting. He barely survived and carries disabilities.

“To this day I don’t understand why I was betrayed like this,” Johnson told the court. “I don’t know if it was jealousy or what. I’ve never done anything to Theron to hurt him.”

Johnson described Farmer as, “super selfish. To this day he’s not taking any remorse. He took a life and almost took mine, and now his should be taken.”

Kamron Johnson, a Ben Lomond High School student, was home sick that day.

Kamron and Eric’s mother, Veronica Johnson, said Farmer, “destroyed several lives … and for what? Jealousy and greed.”

She said she wanted him sent to prison for life, “just so he won’t get out and hurt others.”

Eric Johnson Sr. agreed, adding, “He has no remorse for what he’s done because he thinks he is the victim.”

Teral Tree, the lead prosecutor on the case for the Weber County Attorney’s Office, said Farmer played an essential role in the crime. He said Farmer and Daniel Viegas-Gonzalez of Farmington went there to rob Eric Johnson Jr.

“He picked the target. He picked someone who trusted him. He picked someone who would let his guard down,” Tree said. The two had been friends since junior high school and Farmer made a deal to buy some Xanax from Johnson, according to trial testimony.

Farmer displayed a “horrifying” lack of remorse, leaving the crime scene to brag about the event and party. “All this was done for one night of partying,” Tree said.

Renstrom said he was convinced that Farmer arranged the crime. “I think you were 100% out of your league,” the judge said. “You let your addictions take over. You had no clue what you were up to, buddy. You thought you did. You thought you were a tough guy.”

The judge said jurors told him after the trial that what convinced them of Farmer’s guilt was hearing a recording of the 911 call that Eric Johnson Jr. secretly made as he lay bleeding. On the call, Farmer urged Viegas-Gonzalez to finish off Eric Johnson Jr., according to trial testimony.

Renstrom also said he did not buy Farmer’s “red herring ploys.” During the trial, Farmer said he only arranged the drug buy and was shocked when Viegas-Gonzalez shot the brothers several times each.

Renstrom also sentenced Farmer to concurrent sentences of 26 years to life in prison on counts of attempted aggravated murder and aggravated robbery, plus 1 to 15 years for obstruction of justice. Viegas-Gonzalez, 30, still is awaiting trial.