Serial sexual predator at center of KSL Investigation receives second prison sentence this month
Sep 26, 2024, 7:26 PM | Updated: 7:35 pm
SALT LAKE CITY – A serial sexual predator at the center of a KSL Investigation has been sentenced to prison for the second time this month.
Through the Failure to Protect series, the KSL Investigators exposed gaps in Utah’s criminal justice system that kept Joshua Homer, 28, free for years.
Homer was sentenced to five years to life in prison in a case involving three survivors in Davis County earlier this month.
On Thursday, he pleaded guilty to an amended count of attempted rape in a Salt Lake County case involving a woman who said she was assaulted by Homer in 2014. She came forward to police following KSL’s reporting on other cases against Homer.
The KSL Investigators dug into his criminal past and found crimes against women and girls spanning a decade but no prison time.
On Thursday, he was sentenced to three years to life in prison. The two prison sentences will run consecutively, meaning for several Utah survivors, their perpetrator will be in prison for at least eight years.
“Somebody can serve their time and then come out and move on with their life. But often, for some of the trauma for our survivors, this will be with them for the rest of their life,” said Salt Lake County District Attorney Sim Gill. “So, the disproportionality of the harm that is caused is sometimes not captured by the sentence, but we can certainly be rest assured that for a period of time, he’s going to be inside a prison and where he belongs and he will not be harming anybody out here.”
In a statement shared with the KSL Investigators, the survivor in the case wrote, “I hope that this conviction helps victims of sexual assault want to come forward. Whether your assault happened 10 years ago like mine, or 1 week ago, your voice will always matter. You deserve to heal, be heard, and see justice be served.”
Homer was arrested for a probation violation the day after KSL’s first Failure to Protect report aired in December 2022 and has been in custody since.
Homer also faces new charges filed in August. He’s accused of having a contraband cell phone in the Duchesne County Jail, a third-degree felony.
This report is part of a series examining how apparent gaps at every level of Utah’s criminal justice system fail to protect Utahns.
If you have experienced sexual violence, you can access help and resources by calling Utah’s 24-hour Sexual Violence Helpline at 801-736-4356. You can also call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at 1-800-656-4673 for free, confidential counseling.
Have you experienced something you think just isn’t right? The KSL Investigators want to help. Submit your tip at investigates@ksl.com or 385-707-6153 so we can get working for you.
