An Idaho man who was scheduled to be released in a few months will now spend four decades behind bars after killing his cellmate.
Ada County Judge Nancy Baskin handed 33-year-old James Johnson a life term in prison with the possibility of parole for the beating death of his cellmate, 45-year-old Milo Warnock. Though he initially pleaded not guilty, the defendant later pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and concealment or destruction of evidence.
Johnson, who was serving a five-year sentence for fraud and grand theft, had been scheduled to be released in February before the fatal incident, reported KLEW.
On Dec. 10, 2023, the defendant, who had been housed in an Idaho Department of Corrections unit where inmates are locked up together for 23 hours, beat Warnock to death with a blunt force trauma.
According to prosecutors, the victim, who was serving a DUI sentence, was moved to restrictive housing for hiding medication and not taking it at the time prescribed, causing sleep disturbances in the general population.
Family members claimed Warnock had requested a change to his medication schedule, but prison personnel failed to inform him of the proper procedure, reported KTVB7.
Johnson’s defense lawyer claimed the violent act of his client was due to the defendant’s mental illness and childhood trauma. The defendant will be eligible after serving 35 years.
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