Conviction in Twin Peaks Murder of 71-Year Old Photographer Ed French

A San Francisco jury found Fantasy Decuir and Lamonte Mims guilty in the murder of 71-year-old photographer Ed French in 2017. They had robbed him of his camera at the Twin Peaks lookout point, a popular panoramic spot for San Francisco locals and tourists alike, in a shooting that rocked San Francisco.  

The verdict was 7 years in coming.  While Mims and Decruir were found guilty in 2023 of robbery and other theft charges, and Mims was also convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon, a jury had previously deadlocked 10-2 on the homicide charges. 

French’s partner, members of the victim's family, and Stop Crime SF’s Court Watch program have been closely monitoring this case over the years despite repeated courtroom delays.  “Justice delayed often results in justice denied,” said Frank Noto of Stop Crime SF.  “I can’t imagine how awful it has been for the victim’s family and friends to endure this for so long.  We can only hope they have closure now,” he added. Click here to see a short video of an interview with Lorrie French, Ed French’s sister.  

Two weeks after the murder, Decuir and Mims robbed two Italian tourists at gunpoint.  Decuir later reportedly posted photos on social media, and was arrested for the later robbery shortly thereafter.  Judge Sharon Reardon had released Mims from jail on gun possession charges while a felon less than a week before the killing, later claiming an erroneous assessment by the SF Pretrial Diversion Project. 

SF Superior Court judge Alexandra Robert Gordon presided over the murder jury trial. The prosecutors included Heather Trevisan and Aaron Cook.