Jury will determine whether Nico Farmer will be sentenced to life in prison

Murder suspect Nico Farmer, 24, is on his way to life in prison if he is found guilty in the courtroom of Judge Christopher Craft, at his trial on Oct. 30.

The case was marked with high security. Some involved in the case were perpetrators of gang violence and members of the gang the Kitchen Crips. Extra metal detectors were put in place right outside of the courtroom doors because of threats from gang members aimed at the jury.

Farmer was on trial for first degree murder and perpetration of robbery, but the story went further than just a simple murder. There was more that went on during the morning of Oct. 6, 2011.

Reports from the Memphis Police Department say that Antonio Pierce, the victim of the murder, was walking home in the Frayser area near the Cypress Gardens Apartments. He was approached by two men and robbed at pistol point. Pierce refused to give anything and was shot. However, he was able to run and be pursued by the two men, until he was shot several more times. In total, eight bullets were fired.

 The first male was Farmer, and the second male who accompanied him was Terry Johnson. Johnson was involved in the murder of Pierce, who showed up to the Med and died soon after, but was also found at the Med the same night with gunshot injuries. 

George Cave, a man who testified on Oct. 30, gave his account. 

“I was sent there involving a case of Terry Johnson who had shown up to the Med with gunshot wounds. He arrived around the same time that the victim [Pierce] of the case arrived.”

Cave, an employee of the Memphis Police Department, was on the midnight shift. He reported on seeing Johnson there, remarking on his appearance and verifying that the gunshot wounds ran deep.

Johnson was shot by his partner, Farmer, after Pierce had already been shot. And even later, Johnson was killed in late 2012. 

In the courtroom, the jury listened to Cave while Farmer sat on a bench behind his lawyer, Robert Parris. Farmer had a different appearance than that of his mug shot. While the mug shot showed a longer mane of hair, the Farmer that sat before the jury had a cleaner look with a shaved head, even with the tattoos on his face. 

Another person who Farmer sat before was Marie Minter. Minter was a relative of Pierce and was there for support. She spoke of the things that Pierce would be missing. “He didn’t even get to see his son graduate. He’s 19 years old.”

If convicted, Farmer will have life in prison without parole.