A Placer jury said Friday a Reno man was guilty of murder but he did not torture or poison the victim.

Peter Schoemig, 32, was found guilty of first-degree murder in the September 2006 death of Reno resident Guy Farmer, who was killed at his cousin Donald Sherman’s Penryn home.

However, the 12 jury members said Schoemig was not guilty on a count of torture and special allegations that there was an infliction of torture in the murder and injection of poison were not true.

At the beginning of Schoemig’s three-month trial, prosecutors alleged that he was one of the key participants in the torture and poisoning of Farmer.

Schoemig and Farmer were both at 44-year-old Sherman’s home Labor Day weekend 2006 when some of Sherman’s chemicals he used to make methamphetamine were missing.

The blame centered on Farmer.

Prosecutors said that Schoemig was inside Sherman’s garage with Sherman and other men, known as “the enforcers,” when they began the hours long torture of Farmer. Prosecutors alleged Schoemig had a role in the torture and later worked with Sherman to poison Farmer with an overdose of prescription medications via a syringe.

The jury, however, did not agree with that conclusion.

“Not all of the jurors could agree beyond a reasonable doubt,” said juror Susan Arnstead. “We weren’t sure if he even knew what was in the shot.”

Prosecutors said that after Farmer died that weekend, Schoemig and another man then drove Farmer’s body to Reno and dumped it in an abandoned 50-foot horizontal mine shaft. Farmer’s body was discovered a month later and Schoemig was arrested in December.

Schoemig’s defense attorney, Richard Corbin, told the jury that his client acted under duress during the event and was told he would be tortured and his family harmed if he didn’t follow commands.

Corbin declined to comment outside of the courtroom Friday.

Prosecutors Dave Tellman and Doug Van Breemen said Friday that they believed the jury reached a just verdict.

“Mr. Schoemig had a different level of participation in the torture and I think the verdict reflects that,” Tellman said.

Tellman credited the hard work of Placer County Sheriff’s detective Christina Woo and investigators with the District Attorney’s Office for gathering evidence and witnesses.

Schoemig and Sherman were tried together in the county’s first trial with two different juries listening to the same case. Tellman added that cases involving death by poising are “rare.”

On Tuesday, Sherman was convicted by his jury of first-degree murder and torture. That jury also found true special allegations that Farmer’s murder was intentional and inflicted with torture and the murder was inflicted with the use of poison.

Sherman was also convicted of nine counts of a former felon in possession of a firearm and possession of a controlled substance for sale with a special finding of being armed with a firearm.

“It was an extremely difficult case to put on,” Tellman said. “We’re very, very pleased (the juries) reached a similar verdict and each saw the cases similarly.”

Arnstead and other jurors said it was very difficult to make a decision and each member weighed the evidence carefully. In the end, Arnstead said, “it was just a logical decision.”

“It’s sad for many people,” Arnstead said. “Maybe there’s a lesson to anyone else that somebody died over stupid choices and there was a needless death because of a drug problem.”

Schoemig and Sherman are scheduled to be sentenced 10 a.m. Nov. 30 in a yet-to-be assigned courtroom.

Schoemig faces 25 years to life in prison while Sherman could be handed a sentence of life in prison without the possibility of parole.

Jenifer Gee can be reached at jeniferg@goldcountrymedia.com.