Two people convicted of first-degree murder in a retrial of the 2017 killing of a gay San Francisco photographer while he was taking pictures of the sunrise from Twin Peaks were sentenced last week to life in prison, according to a news release from the office of District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
As the Bay Area Reporter previously reported, Lamonte Mims, 27, of Patterson (Stanislaus County), and Fantasy Decuir, 27, of San Francisco, were convicted following a second trial in September in the murder of Ed French, 71. The first trial, in 2023, ended in a mistrial after a jury failed to reach a unanimous verdict. Members of French's family had told the B.A.R. then that they were exasperated by trial delays.
On December 6, Mims and Decuir were sentenced by Judge Alexandra Gordon to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole.
"They often say justice delayed is justice denied, but not in this case," Jenkins stated, referencing the delays. "I am grateful to the victim's friends and family who have stood with us over the years as we fought for justice. With justice done, I hope that the victim's friends and family are able to continue healing and moving forward past this horrific murder."
Assistant District Attorneys Heather Trevisan and Aaron Laycook prosecuted the case, with assistance from DA investigators Gino Guerrero and Omega Crum; paralegals Jessica Diamond, Julio Flores Guzman and Hang Ngo; and IT support from Noaeh Pinaire, according to the release.
"After seven long years we have a conviction and now a just sentence," Trevisan stated. "Although nothing will truly heal the anguish caused by this callous senseless murder, we are relieved that Ms. Decuir and Mr. Mims will not be able to hurt anyone else in our community ever again.
"I would like to thank Mr. French's family for their support and patience throughout this case and the jurors who carefully weighed all of the evidence and rendered a just verdict," Trevisan stated.
Decuir had been found guilty of first-degree murder with special circumstances, an allegation of personal and intentional use of a firearm, second-degree robbery, and an allegation of the personal and intentional use of a firearm causing death.
Mims was found guilty of first-degree murder with special circumstances and an allegation of personal and intentional use of a firearm.
Prosecutors said the killing started as a robbery. On July 16, 2017, French went to Twin Peaks to photograph the sunrise with a new Canon Mark III camera. At that time, video evidence showed Mims and Decuir attempted to rob him, and, as Mims pulled French's camera bag away, Decuir shot him, according to the DA's office.
"The victim was ripped from the lives of his friends and family by this callous killing over a camera," Laycook stated. "We are profoundly grateful for the jury's thoughtful and deliberate consideration of the evidence in this case, and we hope their verdict brings some sense of justice and closure to the loved ones of the victim."
The DA's office alleged that after fleeing the scene, the pair attempted to sell the stolen camera around Market and Seventh streets.
Decuir and Mims were arrested several weeks later after a man and woman were robbed of their camera, wallet, credit cards, and both United States and European Union currency at St. Mary's Cathedral Square, according to the DA's office. Decuir and Mims were found guilty on the counts relating to these allegations at the first trial, which were separate from the charges of homicide and robbery against French.
At the first trial, the defense brought in a medical expert who stated that Decuir's sickle-cell disease led her to think that "she was dreaming and didn't realize she killed someone," according to Brian Higginbotham, the late French's partner. Higginbotham didn't immediately return a request for comment for this report.
Mark Iverson, Decuir's attorney, at that time had told the B.A.R. that "the legal defense of unconsciousness we presented on behalf of Ms. Decuir involved the interaction of the extreme pain Ms. Decuir experienced during that time from her sickle-cell disease and the large amounts of opiates prescribed and administered to her to relieve her pain. Her ability to manage this medical crisis and her withdrawal from opiates was severely compromised by her intellectual disability."
Iverson stated to the B.A.R. that the sentence is "inhumane and unjust."
"She has no prior criminal record, and she experienced extreme and unaddressed childhood trauma. Science has demonstrated that youthful offenders like Ms. Decuir have a heightened capacity for change and rehabilitation," Iverson stated. "The stark racial disparities in how LWOP [life imprisonment without parole] has been administered in California, generally, and in San Francisco, specifically, illustrates the profound institutional racism underlying this punishment."
Iverson quoted a statistic from the state corrections department that over 50% of sentences to life imprisonment without the possibility of parole in San Francisco were meted out to Black defendants, and that "the vast majority of these Black prisoners were youth offenders." Decuir is Black.
"This legacy of racism compounds the cruelty of this punishment where Ms. Decuir will never have a meaningful opportunity to appear before a parole board," Iverson continued.
He also noted that "the statements from Mr. French's family at the sentencing hearing reflect what a gracious and kind man he was and what an unimaginable loss his family and the wider community suffered as a result of his death."
Mims' attorney, Paul DeMeester, returned a B.A.R. request for comment but a comment has not yet been provided as of December 10.
Updated, 12/10/24: This article has been updated with comments from Fantasy Decuir's attorney.
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