LEXINGTON, Kentucky — A man who brutally killed his 9-month-old daughter was sentenced to 25 years in prison this week — and her mother made sure the courtroom heard exactly what that loss feels like.
Syied Epps, 31, pleaded guilty to murder via domestic violence in May for the July 2023 death of his infant daughter, Sykia Epps. The child arrived at a Lexington hospital with life-threatening injuries on July 26, 2023. She died less than a week later from severe brain trauma.
Other children in the home witnessed what happened.
“Daddy smashed her on her head really hard and she was upside down,” one of the siblings told investigators, according to Detective Paul Hogan’s testimony at a preliminary hearing.
Epps first told police he wasn’t home — claiming a babysitter named “Eric” was watching the children. Surveillance footage proved that was a lie.
He also referred to the children as “roaches” during an argument with their mother, according to the detective.
At sentencing, Epps offered an apology — calling the killing a “mistake.”
The mother did not accept it.
“I hate you,” Markettia Epps shouted from the gallery. “It wasn’t a mistake. You knew what you did to her.”
She then took the stand, addressing him directly while holding a necklace containing her daughter’s ashes.
“I have her ashes on my chest, Syied. Our daughter is on my chest.”
After the sentence was handed down, she was clear about how she felt.
“I only had nine months with her,” she said. “He needs life.”
Do you think 25 years is justice for a crime like this? Share your thoughts in the comments.
