Career criminal Farnham to serve 16 years for second-degree murder

January 12, 2026 | By Mike Donoghue | Correspondent 

HYDE PARK – A dangerous career criminal has been sentenced to 25 years to life in prison with all but 16 years suspended for second-degree murder in the 2024 brutal killing of his longtime friend and intimate partner, court records show.

Theodore “Teddy” Farnham, 55, of Waterbury. Photo courtesy of Vt. State Police

Theodore “Teddy” Farnham, 55, of Waterbury, was due to go on trial in Vermont Superior Court in Hyde Park Monday, Jan. 5. Jury selection was scheduled for last week, but the lawyers on both sides told Judge Justin Jiron that they had negotiated a plea agreement with a prison sentence of 16 years to serve. 

Lamoille County State’s Attorney Aliena Gerhard charged Farnham with the strangulation death of Richard Cote, 76, at his Morristown residence the night of July 23-24, 2024. The home is attached to the auto repair shop and a bus/limo service that Cote operated.

Jiron imposed the agreed-upon sentence, which means that when Farnham gets out of prison, he will remain under the supervision of the Vermont Probation Department for the remainder of his life. He can get more prison time if he violates probation terms.

Veteran defense lawyers Daniel Maguire and Andrew Schmidt of Essex defended Farnham, who offered an apology to the family.

Gerhard said the victim’s family approved of the plea agreement, including ensuring that a specific prison sentence would be imposed. She said she was unwilling to accept a no-contest plea from Farnham. He had to admit his guilt to close out his case, Gerhard said.

The Cote family, friends, and some in the public were miffed that Farnham was even out of prison when the homicide happened.

Public records show that Farnham had had 533 incidents or contacts with law enforcement in Vermont in his life before the homicide.

Police had arrested Farnham on 19 felony charges, and he was convicted on 11 of them, records show. The records also showed Farnham had faced 101 misdemeanor charges resulting in 67 convictions. His record reflected 17 crimes that involved assaults, including 12 with convictions. Farnham had 24 cases of failure to appear for court, and another 25 violations of court orders, including 13 with convictions. 

Yet he was still free.

The Vermont court system is often challenged by cases involving career criminals who repeat crimes and ignore judicial orders. Farnham was another case of what is referred to as “catch-and-release,” authorities said.

It’s unclear from court records why Farnham was not behind bars as a habitual offender before the killing in Morrisville took place. Farnham could have faced up to a life sentence as a habitual offender after his third felony, but the authorities did not take that approach. 

Gerhard said prosecutors and law enforcement deal with a lax system that often can leave the government unable to ensure community safety. “We are helpless. It is frustrating,” she said. “It is something I tell the public.”

Homicide uncovered

The case against Farnham that landed the 16-year prison sentence stemmed from events that took place in July 2024. 

On the morning of July 24, 2024, Morristown Police were called to the home and business at 813 Elmore Road for a welfare check when an employee, Kevin Mayo, arrived for work at 6:30 a.m. and could not enter the locked shop or locate Cote for about 90 minutes. Both circumstances were unusual.

Mayo initially called the bookkeeper and the victim’s brother, who both agreed it was not typical for the owner to be out of touch. They could not reach him, and Mayo finally called police at 7:55 a.m.

Morristown Police Chief Jason Luneau and Officer Lance Lamb eventually had to use a crowbar to force entry into Cote’s upstairs residence and found him naked on his bedroom floor with multiple injuries to his face, neck and head at 9:02 a.m., police said.

The autopsy showed Cote died from asphyxia due to compression of the neck with possible smothering, according to Dr. Kathleen McCubbin, a deputy chief medical examiner. McCubbin also reported she found blunt trauma to the head, neck, torso and extremities.

“The amount of damage to Cote’s nobody is indicative of an emotionally charged assault.  The death of Cote was without question violent,” Morristown Detective Lt. Todd Baxter said in a 43 ½-page court affidavit.

Farnham and Cote had lived together off and on over the previous decade, Baxter detailed in his affidavit. Farnham, who also had a Woodbury address, told police he had been involved with Cote for about 30 years.

Farnham told Chief Luneau, “If Richard had it his way, we’d be married,” the affidavit states. Farnham claimed Cote kept pushing for a relationship, including as recently as three weeks earlier, Baxter wrote, but Farnham emphasized he did not like the sexual advances.

“Not once in any of the interviews or conversations with Teddy did he say he enjoyed the intimate/relationship side of Cote. Teddy spoke the opposite,” Baxter’s affidavit noted. “Teddy did not like the constant advances of Cote and the constant ask for more. Teddy’s frustration with Cote is clear,” the detective’s account states. 

Family, friends and employees knew about the relationship and also that Farnham would steal from Cote, according to Baxter, a retired state homicide detective.

When arrested on Aug. 1, 2024, on the Morristown homicide charge, Farnham was also wanted for an unrelated failure to appear for court in Lamoille County on two counts of petty larceny and two counts of unlawful trespass. A judge had pre-set bail at $200 if Farnham was caught.

Farnham also was due in criminal court in Washington County on Aug. 22, 2024, following a complaint about two people using a ladder to attempt to break into a residence in Waterbury on the night of July 4, Vermont State Police said. Farnham was found inside the residence on U.S. 2 between the Waterbury Flea Market and Parro’s Gun Shop and Indoor Range and police cited Farnham for unlawful trespass, Trooper David Lambert said.

After Cote’s killing, Morristown Police said Vermont State Police came across Farnham again at the Waterbury site, which was a known drug house. Troopers arrested Farnham on the warrant, brought him to Morristown, and turned him over to Baxter, police said.

Court records show that investigators tied Farnham to the crime using evidence from the crime scene, his statements, and DNA tests.