LONG BEACH (CNS) - A 40-year-old Lynwood man who raped a woman while robbing her, and attacked a 90-year-old woman and targeted seniors in a string of other Long Beach break-ins was sentenced today to 423 years to life in prison.
Melvin Earl Farmer Jr. was convicted in July of three counts each of first-degree residential robbery and first-degree burglary with a person present and one count each of forcible rape, sexual battery, second-degree robbery, criminal threats, dissuading a witness, assault to commit a felony and elder abuse. Jurors deadlocked on one additional count of forcible rape.
Farmer, who has two prior robbery convictions, carried out the burglaries and attacks between Feb. 2 and Feb. 9, 2017, primarily in and around a senior housing complex near Atlantic Avenue and Via Carmelitos. He was arrested Feb. 10, 2017, shortly after police released surveillance footage of a suspect in the attacks. He raped a 63-year-old woman after breaking into her home on Feb. 5, 2017.
During a burglary four days later, Farmer beat a 90-year-old woman and demanded a sexual favor, which she refused. Co-defendant Sophia Yim, 33, pleaded no contest on July 9 without a prior agreement with the Los Angeles County District Attorney's Office. She pleaded no contest to one count each of first-degree residential robbery and first-degree burglary, person present.
Yim was sentenced in August to five years probation and 30 days of community service and given a six-year suspended prison sentence.