Man who killed and tortured cats sentenced to 16 years in jail
- by Nick Cohen
- in Industry
- — Jul 16, 2017
Residents tipped off police after seeing CCTV showing Farmer crouching in a driveway before scooping up one elderly tabby and running off with him.
Farmer's lawyer tried to blame Farmer's inexcusable behavior on him being high as a kite on meth, but thankfully, the judge didn't buy it. 16 years was the maximum sentence that she could have handed out, and I think we can all agree that Farmer deserves every single day of it.
Chatman rejected the prosecution's request that Robert Farmer be required to register as a sex offender on the grounds the evidence was not strong enough to conclude he had sexually abused one of the slain animals after it died.
One woman, who had let Farmer stay with her and her son, testified that she had seen him tie up her cat's hind legs and repeatedly swing it against the wall of her home.
Neighbours in Cambria, San Jose, clubbed together to track down the culprit filmed by Miriam Petrova's home security camera.
Schroeder had argued that a test performed by a San Jose Animal Services and Care veterinarian showed no signs of a cat having been sexually assaulted by Farmer.
Farmer, the son of a retired San Jose Police Department captain, was found the morning of October 8, 2015 at a Home Depot parking lot near Hillsdale and Leigh avenues.
The 26-year-old pleaded guilty to 20 counts of animal cruelty.
The cats all went missing in the Cambrian Park area of San Jose in the autumn of 2015. But Chatman said Friday that none of the animals were tested for semen - apparently because there was no immediate indication they had been sexually assaulted - and none was found on Farmer's clothing or vehicle.
But the judge declined that request. Farmer listened with his back turned to the crowd.
Petrova wept as she told how "our sweet GoGo" would cuddle in bed with her children and mourned the fact that "we didn't have the chance to say a proper goodbye".
