Idaho prisoner accused of beating cellmate takes plea deal. Family criticizes prison system
An Idaho prisoner accused of beating his cellmate to death has accepted a plea deal.
James Johnson will spend at least another 10 years in prison — or up to life — after he pleaded guilty to first-degree murder in the killing of Milo Warnock. Throughout a roughly 20-minute hearing Wednesday, 4th District Judge Nancy Baskin peppered the 33-year-old with questions to make sure he understood his rights and the severity of the crime he was admitting to.
“Did you unlawfully and with malice of forethought kill and murder Milo Warnock?” Baskin asked Johnson.
“Yes, I did,” he replied.
The Ada County Prosecutor’s Office formally charged Johnson in September — nine months after the killing — after a grand jury indicted him on the first-degree murder charge. He was expected to face a jury trial next month.
Warnock’s parents told the Idaho Statesman they’re “relieved” the case was resolved without a trial.
His mother, Kathy Warnock, said in an email that while Johnson is “clearly capable” of killing — and shouldn’t walk free anytime soon — the judicial and correctional systems were to blame for “this heinous crime.”
“Milo was a non-violent offender who was treated harshly in the system. His last hours were spent in anguish as James Johnson intimidated and threatened him,” Kathy Warnock said. “He received no assistance from prison staff, and he was at a loss to know what to do.”
His family has filed a nearly $500,000 tort claim against the Idaho Department of Correction, its private medical provider and several employees.
Warnock’s sister, Hallie Johnson, echoed her parents’ sentiments, adding that the prison, its medical provider and the judge who sentenced her brother were just as responsible.
“Let’s be clear; this is not justice for the death of my brother,” she said in a statement. “James Johnson committed the act, but he is not solely culpable.”
Warnock was sentenced to 10 years in prison in July 2023 after pleading guilty to a DUI. He would’ve been eligible for parole after two years, or in July 2025. Warnock was initially housed at the Idaho State Correctional Center under a minimum security restriction, but after he got caught hiding his medication, his classification was increased to maximum security, his family previously told the Statesman.
The prison was giving Warnock his antidepressant at night despite it keeping him awake. He filled out a form, known as a health service request, to ask for the medication time to be changed but he didn’t receive a response from prison officials. In the meantime, Warnock began “cheeking” his medication, or keeping it in his cheek without swallowing it to save the pill for the morning, according to his family.
Following a stint in solitary confinement, Warnock was moved into the prison’s G Block, which has similar restrictions to the state’s maximum security prison. There he was housed with Johnson, who was serving a five-year sentence for fraud and grand theft.
Johnson’s prison sentence ends in February, online prison records showed. He’ll be transferred to the Ada County Jail until his sentencing, scheduled for 9 a.m. April 4.
As a part of Johnson’s plea deal, which the Statesman obtained, the prosecution will dismiss an additional felony against him for destruction of evidence. They will also cap their sentencing recommendation at 35 years determinate plus an indeterminate life sentence, which means he could be eligible for parole after 35 years.
Baskin isn’t bound by that agreement and could sentence Johnson to spend the rest of his life in prison. Johnson’s attorney can argue for a lesser sentence.
Hallie Johnson said the prison lacked critical thinking in how it chooses to house prisoners.
“It will cost the state of Idaho no less than a million dollars to house James for the duration of his sentence,” Hallie Johnson said. “Maybe that’s a small price to pay to keep a murderer off the streets. Maybe prison turned that man into a murderer.”
“I believe the very lowest expectation we should have of our prisons is to keep its residents safe,” she added. “That means safe from each other and safe from themselves. This event was a failure.”
This story was originally published January 17, 2025 at 4:00 AM.
