Repeat drunk driver whose blood alcohol level was 17 times the legal limit convicted of multiple homicides over wrong-way, head-on collision that killed 4 siblings

Left to right: Scott Farmer (Waupaca County Jail), Daniel Gonzalez, Daniela Gonzalez, Lilian Gonzalez, and Fabian Gonzalez (Justice 4 Gonzalez/Facebook).

A Wisconsin man who was severely intoxicated when he crashed his truck into an oncoming SUV and killed four siblings late last year now faces the prospect of several decades behind bars.

On Wednesday, Scott Farmer, 48, pleaded no contest in Waupaca County 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. The more serious charge carries a maximum sentence of 40 years in prison due to his status as a repeat drunk driver.

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.

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.

A Facebook page offers numerous commemorations of the slain. A GoFundMe is soliciting contributions their family.

At the time, Farmer was driving westbound in the eastbound lane. An EMT discovered a large bottle of vodka inside the truck.

Qualitative and quantitative evidence underscores just how drunk Farmer was at the time of the life-shattering incident.

In the immediate aftermath, when questioned about what happened, he started off insisting: “I just spun out” and said, “I didn’t hit anybody.” From there, Farmer was belligerent toward firefighters and even tried to fight hospital staff. Then, he finally admitted he had “a lot” to drink but believed the date of the crash was “the 12th of February.”

As deputies investigated the fatal crash, they found that Farmer reeked of alcohol, according to the criminal complaint .

“I could smell a strong odor of intoxicants emanating from inside of the vehicle. 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,” a deputy wrote. “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.

Now, he’s almost certainly been convicted for the last time.

A courtroom report by Green Bay-based Fox affiliate WLUK took stock of the somber, tear-filled sentencing hearing.

“She’s a little relieved that now after this time-consuming process, something will soon be decided,” a translator speaking on behalf of the victims’ mother, Paulina Schilling, said. “Grateful but dealing with pain in the process.”

Pastor Kurt Schilling, the victims’ stepfather, was just shy of sanguine about the result of the plea agreement, saying: “The main charges are there and I hope justice is served in the end.”

“It would have been easy for us [to] hate the man who did this,” the Lutheran pastor previously told mourners at funeral services for his children. “But what good would that do for any of us?”

Sentencing in the case is slated for Nov. 22.

The post Repeat drunk driver whose blood alcohol level was 17 times the legal limit convicted of multiple homicides over wrong-way, head-on collision that killed 4 siblings first appeared on Law & Crime .