A judge on Wednesday sentenced San Francisco filmmaker Kevin Epps to six years and eight months in prison for the 2016 fatal shooting of his sister-in-law’s ex-husband.
In December, a San Francisco jury acquitted Epps of murder but found that he was still not justified in shooting 45-year-old Marcus Polk nearly a decade ago. Epps, 58, was convicted of voluntary manslaughter, a charge that carries a potential sentence of up to 11 years in prison. His defense team asked for no prison time and told KQED they planned to appeal Wednesday’s sentence.
“There’s no excuse for what I’ve done,” Epps said at his sentencing hearing, according to KQED. “I pray for Mr. Polk’s family and ask for forgiveness every day of my life.”
The case against Epps hinged on conflicting accounts of the Oct. 24, 2016 shooting. Defense attorneys said Polk, who was homeless and had long-struggled with addiction, had entered Epps’ Glen Park home despite being told to leave. Epps then shot him twice, attorneys said, out of fear that his family was in danger.
Prosecutors have contested that Epps acted in self-defense, pointing to mounting tensions between the two men over Polk’s frequent visits to the house.
Epps rose to local prominence with the 2003 film, “Straight Outta Hunters Point,” which documented the evolution of the historically Black neighborhood where he grew up. He serves as the editor of the San Francisco Bay View, a newspaper serving the Black community, and has remained a visible figure at Bay Area police brutality protests.
During Wednesday’s hearing, supporters spoke about his work in community organizations and his 12-year-old daughter, Kamia, “begged the judge for leniency through tears,” according to KQED.
Polk’s loved ones, meanwhile, accused Epps of killing him “in cold blood for no reason.”