Left to right: Scott Farmer (Waupaca County Jail), Daniel Gonzalez, Daniela Gonzalez, Lilian Gonzalez, and Fabian Gonzalez (Justice 4 Gonzalez/Facebook).
A 48-year-old Wisconsin man who killed four siblings in what was his fifth drunk driving conviction told a court he wishes it was him who died in the crash and that he prays every day for the victims. But jail calls between the repeat offender and his wife show his apology may have been an empty one.
Waupaca County Judge Raymond Huber Friday sentenced Scott Farmer to 37-and-a-half years in prison with 342 days credit, court records show. On Dec. 16, 2023, the defendant killed the driver of the other vehicle, Daniel Gonzalez, 25, in a head-on collision on Highway 10 in Weyauwega — along with his brother Fabian Gonzalez, 23, and their sisters, Lilian Gonzalez, 14, and Daniela Gonzalez, 9. At the time, Farmer was driving westbound in the eastbound lane. An EMT discovered a large bottle of vodka inside the truck.
Previous coverage from Law&Crime: ‘You really destroyed our lives’: Repeat drunk driver was so intoxicated he thought it was ‘the 12th of February’ after wrong-way crash killed 4 Wisconsin siblings, authorities say
During the sentencing, prosecutors discussed jail calls between Farmer and his wife. Farmer accused the victims’ stepfather of running a sex trafficking ring out his his church, a courtroom report from Green Bay NBC affiliate WGBA said. His wife reportedly said “God was working through Scott” the day of the crash. Farmer and his wife also allegedly said during the calls that their should be immigration checks at the courtroom door as many of the victim family hails from Ecuador.
Huber reportedly said the comments were “outrageous” and “offensive to the court.”
Paulina Schilling, the victims’ mother, described her pain following the crash.
“A few days went by and I had to go see them at the funeral parlor, which was the most heartbreaking day of my life,” she reportedly said via a translator. “No one can imagine how I felt seeing all of them lifeless on a cot.”
As Law&Crime previously reported, Farmer in August pleaded no contest to four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle and one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated for the fifth time.
One other criminal count and four pending traffic citations were dismissed as part of the plea deal. Farmer was originally arrested in December 2023 on four counts of homicide by intoxicated use of a motor vehicle, one count of operating a vehicle with a revoked license, one count of operating a vehicle while intoxicated for the fifth time, possessing open intoxicants in a vehicle, reckless driving, driving the wrong way on a divided highway, and speeding on an expressway.
A Facebook page offers numerous commemorations of the slain. A GoFundMe is soliciting contributions their family.
When questioned about what happened after the crash, Farmer told cops, “I just spun out” and said, “I didn’t hit anybody.” He was then belligerent toward firefighters — and even tried to fight hospital staff.
Farmer eventually admitted he had “a lot” to drink.
As deputies investigated the crash, they reported that Farmer reeked of alcohol, according to the criminal complaint.
“I could smell a strong odor of intoxicants emanating from inside of the vehicle,” a deputy wrote. “I observed Scott to have bloodshot and glassy (or watery) eyes. His eyelids were droopy. He had a very slow, thick, and slurred speech. His speech was incoherent at times and his sentences would trail off so I could not understand them. His facial movements were slow and delayed, specifically his facial and eye movements. He also would not listen when asked to stay still in his seat. He attempted to crawl over to the passenger side of the vehicle at one point. These observations are all indicative of impairment, more specifically impairment caused by consuming alcohol.”
A blood test showed Farmer had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .346 by the time his blood was drawn. The legal limit for regular drivers in the Badger State is a BAC of .08 — but the defendant was especially limited because of his relevant criminal history.
Due to prior drunk-driving convictions, his legal limit was a BAC of .02.
Documented incidents of the defendant drinking and driving span several decades. He was convicted of such offenses on Oct. 6, 1999, Sept. 18, 2001, Nov. 29, 2006, and Dec. 18, 2019.
Colin Kalmbacher contributed to this report.
Have a tip we should know? [email protected]
