Robert Farmer, 24, has also been charged with one count of attempted animal cruelty and one misdemeanor count each of battery and being under the influence of methamphetamine. He faces up to eight years, four months in jail if convicted as charged.
Farmer's next court appearance is scheduled for May 6, when a date may be set for a preliminary hearing.
One of the pet owners who attended the hearing was Myriam Martinez, whose cat Thumper was allegedly killed by Farmer. Martinez and several other community members have attended each of Farmer's previous appearances in Santa Clara County Superior Court and plan to continue attending hearings until the case is adjudicated.
"I really wanted him to plead guilty and have this be over with," said Martinez, fighting back tears. "We're here for justice."
Farmer appeared to be staring at the floor during the brief court appearance as his attorney, Wesley Schroeder, argued that cameras should not be allowed inside the courtroom. When his request was denied by Judge Sharon Chatman, Schroeder entered the not guilty plea, which drew some gasps in the courtroom and brought one woman to tears.
Schroeder previously told this newspaper he sympathized with owners who suspect their cats were victims of his client but urged against a rush to judgment until the full circumstances of the case are known.
Miriam Petrova, whose cat Gogo was taken from her front yard on Sept. 21, a theft captured on home-surveillance video, was not surprised that Farmer entered a not guilty plea.
"All I want is for him to stay in jail, and justice for our cats," said Petrova, whose orange tabby cat was never found.
Farmer was arrested Oct. 8 near Hillsdale and Leigh avenues when a search of the vehicle he was sleeping in turned up a dead cat, according to San Jose police.
Prosecutors allege four cats were killed by Farmer, and six others were injured or remain missing.
"We've been doing what we can to make sure all of the evidence is processed and that all charges are brought against him for every act we can prove he committed," prosecutor Alexandra Ellis said.
Martinez previously shared the necropsy report of her cat Thumper with this newspaper; it states the orange tabby had vulva and rectal openings of more than one centimeter each. Martinez also shared crime laboratory documents that report a match between DNA found under the claw clippings of the orange tabby and Farmer.
(San Jose Mercury News - Feb 26, 2016)
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