The man who stabbed the step-granddaughter of Morgan Freeman 25 times in front of eyewitnesses has been sentenced to 20 years in prison with an additional five years of post-release supervision.
Lamar Davenport, 33, was convicted of manslaughter in the first degree in May of last year for the fatal attack on 33-year-old E’Dena Hines, who was his girlfriend at the time.
‘Ambitious and driven, E’Dena Hines was deeply loved by family and friends before her life was brought to a horrific and tragic end by her boyfriend, Lamar Davenport,’ said Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus R. Vance, Jr. in a statement.
Tragic end: Lamar Davenport, 33, was found not guilty of murder but convicted of manslaughter in the death of his girlfriend E’Dena Hines (Hines and Morgan Freeman above at the 2005 Golden Globes)
Lamar Davenport seen here in court receiving a sentence of 20 years in prison for first-degree manslaughter in the brutal stabbing of E’Dena Hines
E’Dena Hines’ mother Deena Adair leaves the courtroom after the sentence was delivered
‘I would like to thank the prosecutors in my office for securing a prison sentence commensurate with his extraordinarily violent crime, and offer my sympathies to Ms. Hines’ loved ones as they continue to mourn,’ the district attorney added.
Davenport had been initially charged with murder in the second-degree, but the defense argued he had been in a drug-induced psychosis during the brutal slaying, brought on by his use of PCP.
One man who witnessed the attack testified at the trial that during the attack Davenport screamed: ‘I love you. I always loved you. God would have wanted this.’
After he was arrested, Davenport was taken to a hospital where after he was given sedatives he awoke screaming; ‘Why did this happen? No, no! Why God?’
He also asked the arresting officers if they believed in Jesus and urged them to repent their sins.
Hines and Davenport, a rapper, had been living together in a $780,000 apartment that was paid for by Freeman.
There relationship was tumultuous according to witnesses who testified at the trial, and Davenport fathered children with other women while the pair were together.
He also struggled with drug issues,
Hines is the granddaughter of Morgan’s first wife, Jeanette Adair Bradshaw.
Davenport was found not guilty of murder but convicted of manslaughter back in May of 2018
Lamar Davenport is led away from court in handcuffs after the sentencing
Freeman adopted Hines’ mother Deena Adair when he married Jeanette, and he writes in his affidavit that is was Adair and himself acting as a surrogate father who raised the young woman after he parents divorced when she was just 3-years-old.
‘Throughout E’Dena’s entire lifetime, my daughter Deena Adair and I were the primary sources of support for E’Dena financially, emotionally, mentally and physically,’ writes Freeman.
Freeman, 80, once denied a romantic relationship with Hines after reports emerged that the pair were involved, but it was alleged during the trial that Hines had at one point texted Davenport to reveal she had ‘grandpa feelings.’
Davenport’s lawyer also told jurors that Hines and Freeman had a sexual relationship.
Deena Adair, shown, and Morgan Freeman were the primary support for Hines ‘financially, emotionally, mentally and physically’
Freeman said at the time of Hines’ death; ‘The world will never know her artistry in talent. Her star will continue to shine bright in our hearts, thoughts and prayers. May she rest in peace.’
The young woman would frequently accompany Freeman to premieres, and was an actor herself.
According to her personal website she was an actor and writer living in New York City, where she studied at New York University’s Graduate Acting Program.
The university announced shortly after her passing that a scholarship would be dedicated in her name.
Hines also taught under-exposed youth in her native Memphis, Tennessee, where she moved after she failed to land gigs and felt ‘unfulfilled.’
Judge Ellen Biben did not elaborate on her decision back in May, and Hines’ mother Deena did not speak with reporters on her way out of the courtroom.