July 14, 2022
(McKinney, Texas) – Collin County District Attorney Greg Willis announced that Carmen Moreno, 26, of Rio Grande City, was sentenced to life in prison for her role in the murders of Jimmy Michael “Mike” Farris and Theresa Coomes. “Murdering even one person is unthinkable to most law abiding citizens. But viciously stabbing to death two of our citizens just to get some quick cash is a crime worthy of life in prison,” added Willis after sentencing.
In the late evening of November 17, 2019, a deputy with the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office made a routine traffic stop of a female driver along I-35 near Hewitt, Texas, south of Waco. The sole occupant of that vehicle acted suspiciously and provided inconsistent statements about the vehicle she drove and where she came from.
During that encounter, Carmen Moreno pulled up in a separate vehicle and approached the responding deputies who conducted the traffic stop, identifying herself as a friend of the female who was detained. One of the deputies noticed what looked like blood on Moreno’s clothing and asked Moreno where she came from. When Moreno mentioned an incident in Plano, deputies ran the vehicle information, which showed that Moreno was driving a vehicle belonging to Coomes and the other suspect was driving a vehicle belonging to Farris.
Deputies conducted a search of both vehicles and located knives and additional evidence consistent with blood. McLennan County deputies contacted Plano authorities to do a welfare check on the victims’ residence. Farris and Coomes were found deceased inside Farris’ Plano home due to multiple stab wounds.
Further investigation, including cell phone communications and witness interviews, connected the suspects to the victims on the same day as the traffic stop and as the last people to have seen the victims alive. The investigation also revealed that Moreno and her cohort had stolen items from the victims’ residence and used Farris’ credit and debit cards at multiple locations along southbound I-35 in the hours after the homicides. Both Moreno and the other female driver were charged in the murders of the victims.
Judge George Flint sentenced Moreno to life in prison. The co-defendant’s case remains pending.
The case was investigated by the Plano Police Department and the McLennan County Sheriff’s Office. Assistant Criminal District Attorney Marcia Taylor prosecuted the case, aided by District Attorney Investigator Dale Lundberg.
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