Owners of cats killed by San Jose man say maximum sentence not enough

Katie Marzullo Image
ByKatie Marzullo KGO logo
Saturday, July 15, 2017
Owners of cats killed by San Jose man say maximum sentence not enough
A San Jose man has been given the maximum sentence for stalking, kidnapping, and killing cats. In court Friday, Robert Farmer had to face some of the animal's owners, who don't think his punishment is harsh enough.

SAN JOSE, Calif. (KGO) -- A San Jose man has been given the maximum sentence for stalking, kidnapping, and killing cats. In court Friday, Robert Farmer had to face some of the animal's owners, who don't think his punishment is harsh enough.

RELATED: Mixed emotions after San Jose cat killer sentenced to 16 years

"He will still be young when he's released. It's a terrifying thought to think of what could happen if he makes another mistake in his life."

Farmer, 26, of San Jose received 16 years in prison for his crimes. Prosecutors say he tortured and killed as many as 16 cats in the Cambrian Park neighborhood over a two-month period in the fall of 2015.

Farmer's attorney read a statement on his behalf-- in it, Farmer blamed his crimes on meth.

"Living in a car with feces, blood, urine, fur, and decomposing cat parts-- what a mess," said Wesley Schroder, reading Farmer's statement. "I now realize that my friends who identified me in the video, and the detectives that arrested me, saved my life."