Jury convicts man and woman of murder in 2017 Twin Peaks killing
Fantasy Decuir and Lamonte Mims, both 27, were found guilty Friday of shooting Edward French while robbing him of his camera at the sight-seeing area known for its views of San Francisco.
SAN FRANCISCO - A man and woman have been convicted of first-degree murder in the 2017 killing of a 71-year-old photographer on Twin Peaks, one of San Francisco's most popular tourist attractions.
Fantasy Decuir and Lamonte Mims, both 27, were found guilty Friday of shooting Edward French while robbing him of his camera at the sight-seeing area known for its views of San Francisco.
French had gone to Twin Peaks on the morning of July 16, 2017, to take photographs of the city on his new Canon Mark III camera, prosecutors said. While he was taking photographs, surveillance cameras captured video of the pair approaching and robbing him at gunpoint.
As Mims struggled to pull the camera bag away from the victim, Decuir shot him through the heart and right lung. Mims wrested the bag away and kicked French while he lay on the ground.
"The jury's verdict holds Ms. Decuir and Mr. Mims accountable for the cold-blooded murder of an elder in our community doing what he loved to do," District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said in a press release. "While this family had to wait far too long, I am relieved that the system was able to deliver justice to them."
Just over an hour after the murder, Decuir and Mims attempted to sell the stolen camera in the area of 7th Street and Market Street, prosecutors said.
They were ultimately captured after robbing a pair of tourists of a camera and credit cards at gunpoint in the area of Cathedral Hill on July 28, 2017, according tothe district attorney's office.
Decuir and Mims are in custody pending sentencing, scheduled for Dec. 6, prosecutors said.
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