SAN FRANCISCO—San Francisco documentary filmmaker Kevin Epps, 58, was sentenced to 6 years and 8 months in state prison for a 2016 murder on Wednesday, April 8, 2026. The judge balanced Epps’ sentence with community service through his San Francisco documentaries and trauma against his status as a convicted felon for possessing a firearm. Epps intends to appeal the sentencing.
The maximum sentence for voluntary manslaughter is 11 years, but the judge chose a mid-range term.
On October 24, 2016, during an altercation at Epps’ home in Glen Park, he shot at Marcus Polk, killing him. Polk was the former husband of his then-fiancée’s sister. Epps claimed self-defense. After the shooting, the San Francisco District Attorney’s Office declined to file charges, saying that they did not have enough evidence.
In May 2019, murder charges were filed against Epps with new evidence from 3D forensics. In 2020, Epps was granted bail, which was unusual for a murder case with community support.
On Monday, November 10, 2025, Epps’ murder trial officially started in San Francisco Superior Court. He was out on bail during the trial. A jury of his peers found Epps not guilty on Monday, December 15, 2025, of first-degree or second-degree murder, but guilty of voluntary manslaughter and two counts of being a felon in possession of a firearm.
