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OGDEN — A Farmington man has pleaded guilty to his role in a 2019 fatal shooting that left an Ogden high school student dead and one man severely wounded.
Daniel Viegas-Gonzalez, 30, pleaded guilty Tuesday to single counts of aggravated murder and attempted aggravated murder, both first-degree felonies. In return for his plea, Weber County prosecutors dropped three felony charges: aggravated robbery, obstructing justice and possession or use of a firearm by a restricted person.
Viegas-Gonzalez and another man, 25-year-old Theron Farmer, were charged days after a Feb. 11, 2019 home invasion in west Ogden resulted in the shooting death of Kameron Johnson, an 18-year-old Ben Lomond High School student who was home sick that day. The intent of the invasion was to rob Johnson's brother, Eric Johnson, Jr., who was also shot multiple times at their Ogden home.
Farmer and Viegas-Gonzalez stole money and drugs from the home in addition to shooting the brothers. Kameron Johnson died at the scene, but Eric Johnson survived the gunshot wounds and identified the attackers as Farmer and a "heavier set Hispanic male" later identified as Viegas-Gonzalez, according to charging documents. Eric Johnson later testified in court that Viegas-Gonzalez entered Kameron Johnson's room before hearing two gunshots, according to a report from the Ogden Standard-Examiner.
After a jury trial lasting several days, Farmer was convicted on Nov. 4 on all four felonies he faced, including aggravated murder, attempted aggravated murder and aggravated robbery — all first-degree felonies. He was also found guilty of obstructing justice, a second-degree felony. A judge sentenced Farmer to serve a prison term of 26 years to life behind bars.
With his guilty pleas, Viegas-Gonzalez could face a similar sentence or worse. For the aggravated murder charge, he faces a minimum prison term of 25 years and a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole. Prosecutors stated in December 2019 they would not seek 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 bond. His next court appearance is scheduled to be for his sentencing hearing on March 8, 2022.
