Syied Epps pleaded guilty to murder after his infant daughter suffered fatal brain trauma at a Lexington home.
LEXINGTON, Ky. — A Kentucky father has been sentenced to 25 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering his 9-month-old daughter, who died days after suffering severe brain injuries inside a Lexington home in July 2023.
Syied Malik-Kawon Epps, 31, received the sentence July 1 in Fayette Circuit Court for the death of his daughter, Sykia Epps. He pleaded guilty May 20 to murder involving domestic violence. Under the plea agreement, prosecutors dismissed a second-degree persistent felony offender charge and recommended the 25-year sentence imposed by the court.
The case began after the infant arrived at a hospital with life-threatening injuries. Lexington police were sent to a Whitney Avenue residence for a welfare check early July 25, 2023. Investigators determined that the child had been assaulted, and Epps was arrested the next day on a first-degree assault charge. Sykia died less than a week later, prompting authorities to pursue a murder charge.
During an August 2023 preliminary hearing, Lexington police Detective Paul Hogan testified that three other children were inside the home when Sykia was injured. Hogan said the children told investigators that Epps had dropped their sister on her head. One child said Epps had forcefully struck the baby’s head while she was upside down, according to testimony reported from the hearing.
Hogan also testified that Epps initially claimed he had not been home and said the infant was in the care of a babysitter named Eric. Investigators said Epps could not provide the supposed babysitter’s last name, telephone number or other identifying information. Security footage later showed that Epps was at the residence when the child was injured, and the detective said Epps eventually admitted that the babysitter account was false.
The detective testified that Epps had been arguing with the children’s mother while she was working. During the exchange, Epps used an insulting term for the children and threatened to leave them outside if their mother did not return on time, Hogan said. Following the preliminary hearing, the case was sent to a grand jury, and Epps remained under a $1 million bond.
Emotions ran high during the sentencing hearing as Sykia’s mother, Markettia Epps, described losing the chance to see or hold her daughter again. She wore a necklace containing some of the child’s cremated remains and told Epps that their daughter’s ashes were resting against her chest.
Epps apologized in court and described the killing as a mistake. Markettia Epps rejected that description, telling him that he knew what he had done. She also said after the hearing that she believed a life sentence would have been more appropriate because she had been given only nine months with her daughter.
The sentence closed the criminal case nearly three years after the child’s death. Epps received credit for the time he spent in custody before sentencing. The available reports did not identify a separate pending proceeding in the case.
Author note: Last updated July 23, 2026.