Seven years after a photographer was murdered in a robbery at San Francisco’s Twin Peaks, two people convicted of his murder have been sentenced to life in prison.
District Attorney Brooke Jenkins’ office announced Friday that Fantasy DeQuia, 27, and Lamonte Mims, 27, were sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. Murder of 71-year-old Ed French on July 16, 2017.
“It is often said that justice delayed is justice denied, but that is not the case in this case,” Jenkins said in a statement. “We are grateful to the friends and families of the victims who have stood by us over the years to fight for justice.”
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Mr. DeCure and Mr. Mims were both found guilty in September of first-degree murder with special circumstances. Mr. DeCure was also convicted of second-degree robbery.
According to testimony presented at trial, French went to a popular tourist destination in the morning with a new camera, a Canon Mark III DSLR. While taking photos, Mims and DeCure approached French at gunpoint.
During a scuffle as Mims tried to pull the camera bag from French, DeCure shot the victim through the heart and right lung. After the shooting, Mims allegedly pulled the victim’s camera bag and kicked the victim while she was on the ground.
Prosecutors said the two tried to sell the stolen camera in the area of 7th Avenue and Market Street an hour after the shooting.
French was a commercial location scout with close ties to the film industry.
“If it’s someone you know, it really hits home,” said Susannah Gleason-Robbins of the Science Fiction Film Commission. French spoke to CBS News Bay Area shortly after he was killed..
Robbins described the victim as a resourceful and artistic soul.
DeCure and Mims were arrested on July 28, 2017, after they allegedly held two tourists at gunpoint and robbed them of their cameras and credit cards near Cathedral Hill, according to the DA’s office.
“While nothing can truly heal the pain caused by this cold and senseless murder, we are relieved that Ms. DeQuia and Ms. Mims will never be able to harm anyone else in our community again. ,” Assistant District Attorney Heather Trevisan said. “I would like to thank Mr. French’s family for their support and patience throughout this case, and the jury for carefully considering all the evidence and reaching a fair verdict.”
