Twin Peaks murder case in San Francisco: Suspect guilty in fatal shooting of photographer Ed French in 2017

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) — The family of San Francisco photographer Ed French, who was murdered in Twin Peaks in 2017, can feel relief. Two people arrested in connection with the shooting were found guilty of the crime on Thursday.

The ruling was preceded by a years-long legal dispute.

The murder shocked the city, especially after it was revealed that one of the suspects had been released from police custody just days before the Twin Peaks shooting in 2017.

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A trial last year ended with the two suspects being convicted of robbery, but this year they were tried again for the photographer's murder and found guilty on Thursday.

“Pretty emotional for me. We've fought for seven years and finally there's justice. It should never take this long,” Lorrie French said in response to a jury's guilty verdict Thursday in the 2017 murder of her brother Ed.

“It's on film, there was no doubt that they murdered him. That I and all of his friends and families spent seven years of their lives trying to finally get justice… I don't know if there's something wrong with the system, or if there's something completely wrong,” French said.

71-year-old Ed French died while taking photos of the Salesforce Tower, which was then under construction, in Twin Peaks that Sunday morning.

On Thursday, a jury in San Francisco found Fantasy Decuir and Lamonte Mims guilty. In a statement, San Francisco District Attorney Brooke Jenkins said, “The jury's verdict holds Ms. Decuir and Mr. Mims responsible for the cold-blooded murder of an elder in our community who was doing what he loved on the morning of his murder in 2017.”

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French says the surveillance video of the crime shown in court is still painful to watch.

“And she pulls out the gun and shoots him, she shoots him right in the heart. They start running, and Mims turns around, comes back and grabs a dying man's camera bag, and before he leaves, he kicks him,” French said.

When the jury read the verdict, Lorrie said she burst into tears. Even though the two have been in prison for some time, she says she wants to see them in prison for what they did. We asked her about her sentencing in December.

“Will you be there?” asked ABC7 News reporter JR Stone.

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“You’re damn right, I definitely will!” said Lorrie.

“He looks at me and says, 'Sister, why did you waste your time? I'm not coming back.' That's what he says to me and I know that, but you know what I had to do? I had to get justice for him. That meant everything. I'm 84 and it meant everything in my life to get justice for him and now I can finally die in peace,” Lorrie French said.

This is the full statement from District Attorney Brooke Jenkins:

“I want to thank the jury for their service in this trial. The jury's verdict holds Ms. Decuir and Mr. Mims responsible for the cold-blooded murder of an elder in our community who was doing what he loved on the morning of his murder in 2017. I want to thank the victim's friends and family for their trust in my office and the criminal justice system to bring justice in this case. Although this family has had to wait far too long, I am relieved that the system was able to bring them justice.”