A judge today sentenced Kevin Epps, a documentary filmmaker convicted of manslaughter last year in a Glen Park shooting, to more than six years in prison, before a tearful and packed San Francisco courtroom.ย
Epps is the editor-in-chief of the San Francisco Bayview National Black Newspaper, and received critical acclaim for his breakout film, โStraight Outta Hunters Point,โ in 2003.ย
In 2016, Epps shot and killed Marcus Polk, the ex-husband of his then-fiancรฉeโs sister. Polk was homeless and in and out of jail, but was a friend of the family and would often visit the home where Epps lived with his partner and children.ย
Epps claimed the shooting was in self-defense after Polk entered his home without permission and came at him. The District Attorneyโs Office charged Epps with murder years after the incident, in 2019.ย
In December 2025, a jury found Epps not guilty of murder, but guilty of voluntary manslaughter, a conviction that can bring with it a sentence of three, six, or 11 years in prison.ย
After hearing lengthy arguments about aggravating and mitigating factors from attorneys on both sides today, San Francisco Superior Court Judge Brian Ferrall sentenced Epps to six years, with an additional eight months for possessing a gun as a convicted felon.ย
Prosecutor Jonathan Schmidt sought to double Eppsโ sentence by referencing a past โstrikeโ on his criminal record, a 1997 burglary conviction, and also sought a five-year term enhancement for that same past conviction.
Ferrall ruled in Eppsโ favor and did not apply those enhancements, but did opt for a sentence beyond the minimum of three years.
Ferrall considered Eppsโ past convictions and time in prison in the 1980s, and the fact that he had a firearm as a convicted felon, but also Eppsโ past trauma, community involvement and support, and nonviolent and long-ago criminal history, in reaching that decision.ย
โItโs a terrible outcome. Itโs a terrible outcome for him, itโs a terrible outcome for his kids, itโs a terrible outcome for his community given all that he does for and with them,โ said Eppsโ attorney Mark Vermeulen. โItโs a terrible and sad outcome.โ
As a well-known community figure, Epps has received an outpouring of support from San Francisco residents and leadership, including Mayor London Breedโs former head of workforce development, Joshua Arce, and former supervisors Dean Preston, John Avalos and Matt Haney.
Many of those supporters spoke in court today, as did members of Polkโs family. Spectators who poured into the Hall of Justice were denied entry to the hearing after the room reached capacity. After the sentence was read, people in attendance could be seen crying as bailiffs took Epps into custody.ย
“After many years of waiting for justice, the victimโs family can now rest, knowing that Mr. Epps has been held accountable for this tragedy,” said District Attorney Brooke Jenkins in a statement.
Epps has been living out of custody since his arrest and release in 2019, and has been raising his two young children in the city. Based on todayโs ruling, Vermeulen said Epps will be paroled after about 4 and a half years in state prison, after his credit for time served is deducted.
โToday is a dark day in San Francisco,โ said a coalition supporting Epps, Justice 4 Kevin Epps, in a statement after hearing the judgeโs ruling. The group said the sentence would โdeepen the harm.โ
โA man who should never have been charged is now sentenced to be taken from his family and community as the result of a defective and unethical process,โ the statement read.
Eppsโ supporters say that legal standards for self-defense law are unequally applied, and that claims of self-defense by Black people are often โreframed and criminalized.โ
Epps plans to appeal his conviction and will appear in court for a bail hearing later this month.
This article was updated with a statement from District Attorney Brooke Jenkins.
Of COURSE he received an outpouring of support from the city’s London Breed-era leadership. This is the same group that supported Sheryl Davis spending taxpayers’ money on herself. There are probably more felons in that group. Criminals love criminals.
Stand Your Ground
To say it was not self-defense, you would have to know what the person was thinking and see what really happened. No one knows for sure, except the defendant and the decedent, who can never testify to speak for themselves. The state’s lawyer did not present the case strongly enough.
Some AI-generated pictures were used, but they did not work well. That was the main reason they reopened the case. The judge and the state’s lawyer withheld some important facts from the jury. These facts could have helped the person on trial. The jury did not get to see everything.
A judge should be fair and not take sides. But here, the judge made choices that helped the state. Even so, the jury did not say the person was guilty of the most serious crimes. That shows the case was not very strong.
The decision should be looked at again by a higher court. We should follow the law. If someone tells you to leave their home, you should leave calmly and not act in a scary or mean way. In other words, if someone asks you to leave the place where they reside, you don’t look at them in a threatening manner and make physical gestures that you are coming to attack them, and say that you are going to air them out.
There is a real argument that this could have been self-defense. Guessing should not decide a case.
In another case, George Zimmerman said he acted in self-defense and was found not guilty after he shot Trayvon Martin. Some people think that the case was weaker than this one.
In a different case, an older Asian woman in San Francisco caused the deaths of a family at a bus stop at West Portal in SF. She was placed on probation and did not go to prison.
These cases make some people feel the legal system is unfair against Black people, suspects, or victims alike.
And, Angela Alioto,
I’m a Sexist for forgetting Queen Bee even for a second.
h.
People get lower sentences for much worse crimes. I am very surprised at this.
Normally I’d say do the crime, do the time – but this really does seem like self defense.
Ten bucks says (white) Nation Wood will get zero time for “accidentally” killing his girlfriend with a gun he discharged in their home.
Say his Name Marcus Polk โฆ say his name Marcus Polk โฆ Black Lives Matter โฆ. Unless your in San Francisco
Only has to serve 4.5 years of murdering a black man โฆ why does a convicted felon have a gun ? Who was it registered to ? How was it obtained ? We need to end gun violence
No way would he serve 4.5 years if he killed a White man . No way
We have minorities serving more time for crimes that didnโt kill anyone .
Marcus Polk I am sorry . The judicial system didnโt bring you justice . You were a human and deserved more .
Crooke Jenkins is an embarrassment to our city. Every case she pushes is politically motivated and what’s worse, she doesn’t even bother to hide it or stay loyal. London Greed bought and sold her and now the Trumpette Denim Dan can look good too. They all need to be put in jail.