SAN ANTONIO – Emond Johnson, who was charged of starting a fire that killed San Antonio firefighter Scott Deem in 2017, was sentenced Wednesday to 30 years in prison on two charges.
Johnson pleaded no contest in the 186th District Court to charges of murder and arson. The sentences will run concurrently and he will be credited for six years of time served in the Bexar County Jail. Johnson will be eligible for parole after he serves half his sentence.
The courtroom was packed for the hearing with fellow firefighters and family members, including some who faced Johnson and told him how Deem’s death affected them.
“I was thinking he was going to come home that morning with a big smile on his face like he normally did. But he didn’t because of you,” Deem’s daughter said during her victim impact statement. “Life is unexpected and that’s something I’ve learned after he passed -- to treasure every moment, every day, as if it was your last.
Deem’s mother-in-law also addressed Johnson, telling him that she never referred to the fallen firefighter as her son-in-law.
“He was like my own son ... that’s what you’ve taken from us,” she said. “I know you don’t know Scott. He was not only a good fireman, he was the best fireman there was in my eyes. Everybody believed in him.”
She also told Johnson that she prays every day to give her daughter comfort, “but I really honestly think that day is gonna be the day she joins him.”
Johnson was accused of starting a fire in his gym that spread throughout the Ingram Square Shopping Center on May 18, 2017.
The four-alarm fire also injured firefighters Robert Vasquez and Brad Phipps, who also addressed Johnson.
“Scott was a friend of mine. Our kids went to the same school. We had a lot of laughs together, but that night changed all that,” Phipps said. “Scott is a hero and he always will be. So with that being said, I want you to apologize for what you put us all though... Maybe one day we will accept it.”
Earlier this year, a September trial date was set for this case, so the plea offer came as a surprise to many.
Johnson, who co-owned the “Spartan Box” gym at Ingram Square Shopping Center, was facing charges that included murder, arson resulting in death, arson causing bodily injury and arson of a building.
According to an arrest affidavit, investigators determined that the fire started in a rear storage room in the gym. They also determined that there were no electrical issues.
Johnson told investigators at 8:54 p.m., he locked the gym from the front door minutes before the fire began, but video showed a person matching his stature walking away from the rear of the gym. The affidavit also said there was a brief, bright flash captured on camera.
At the time of the fire, Johnson was $6,800 behind on rent and had several other debts totaling thousands of dollars.
In his final interview with investigators, Johnson said someone spilled a large container filled with oil and gas, which flowed toward the rear double doors of the gym, the affidavit said. Johnson admitted it was him on the video and that he used a disposable lighter to start the fire. The affidavit also stated that Johnson told investigators he wanted to get out of his lease and he had been receiving eviction notices.
San Antonio Fire Chief Charles Hood was the final person to address Johnson.
Hood told Johnson that the incident changed the lives of the fire department, the victim’s families and the city forever.
Despite the pain and anger that Hood said he feels toward Johnson, he forgave him.
“For the sake of my mental health, for the sake of my well-being, I have to forgive you. But I will never, ever forget. And neither will any of these people,” Hood said. “When you die, we will still be loving and missing Scott.”
Deem, 31, was a six-year veteran of the department and left behind his wife and three young children.