A Farmington man pleaded guilty to the murder of the house robbery in 2019 and the shooting of a Ben Lomond High School student who was sick that day. (Kristin Murphy, Desert News)
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OGDEN – A Farmington man pleaded guilty to his role in a fatal shootout in 2019 that killed an Ogden high school student and seriously injured a man.
Daniel Viegas-Gonzalez, 30, pleaded guilty on Tuesday to serious murder and attempted murder, both of which are first-degree crimes. In return for his plea, Weber County prosecutors dropped three grievous bodily harm charges: aggravated robbery, obstruction of justice, and the possession or use of a firearm by a disabled person.
Viegas-Gonzalez and one other man, Theron Farmer, 25, were charged days after a home invasion in West Ogden on February 11, 2019 that shot and killed Kameron Johnson, an 18-year-old student at Ben Lomond High School was sick that day at home. The intent of the invasion was to rob Johnson’s brother Eric Johnson Jr., who was also shot multiple times at their home in Ogden.
Farmer and Viegas-Gonzalez stole money and drugs from the house and shot the brothers. Kameron Johnson died on the scene, but Eric Johnson survived the gunshot wounds and identified the assailants as a farmer and a “heavily occupied Hispanic man” who was later identified as Viegas-Gonzalez according to indictment documents. Eric Johnson later testified in court that Viegas-Gonzalez walked into Johnson’s room before hearing two gunshots, according to a report by Ogden Standard Examiner Kameron.
After a multi-day jury trial, Farmer was convicted on November 4 of all four crimes he faced, including aggravated murder, attempted murder, and aggravated robbery – all first degree crimes. He was also found guilty of obstruction of justice, a second degree crime. A judge sentenced Farmer to 26 years in prison and sentenced him to life behind bars.
With his confessions of guilt, Viegas-Gonzalez could face a similar or worse punishment. For the charge of aggravated murder, he faces a minimum prison sentence of 25 years and a maximum sentence of life imprisonment without parole. Prosecutors announced in December 2019 that they would not face the death penalty against either of the two.
Viegas-Gonzalez remains in the custody of the Weber County Jail, where he is being held without commitment. His next appearance in court is scheduled for his judgment hearing on March 8, 2022.
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