Denver 'Samaritan' Killer Sentenced to Life

DENVER, CO – DeJuan Stamps, 30, was sentenced in Denver Friday to life in prison plus 24 years for the for the violent beating death of of James Farmer Jr., 62. Farmer was hailed as a hero for dying while defending two teenagers whom Stamps randomly attacked on June 16, 2017.

Farmer was homeless and living in his car the night of the incident around 4 a.m., his son said. Investigators found that Farmer had stepped in when Stamps was pummeling two teenagers, a boy and a girl. The boy had serious injuries to his face and had to be hospitalized.

Stamps then beat Farmer in the middle of Curtis Street, near 24th Avenue, and was striking him repeatedly in the chest when police arrived, an arrest affidavit said. Farmer was declared dead.

Stamps also assaulted a police officer who tried to take him into custody, prosecutors said.

At a memorial for Farmer at Denver's St. Francis Center, one of the teens, Maeve Murphy said, "I would thank him for performing such a selfless act for someone who he never met before. That's something I've never experienced on such a close scale before so it was really moving."

In March a jury found Stamps guilty of assault charges for the attack on the teens.

Denver District Court judge Michael Vallejos handed down a sentence of life plus 16 years for the assault on the teenagers and eight years for assaulting the police officer. The sentences are to run consecutively, the District Attorney's Office said.

Related: DeJuan Stamps Found Guilty In Denver 'Samaritan' Murder