A MANHATTAN man has been found guilty of stabbing to death Morgan Freeman’s step-granddaughter and alleged lover.

Judge Ellen Biben convicted Lamar Davenport on lesser manslaughter charges for knifing his girlfriend, E’dena Hines, 25 times on a Washington Heights sidewalk in full view of pedestrians and neighbours in August 2015, reported the New York Post.

But the guilty verdict was still a victory of sorts for Davenport’s lawyers, who argued that their client — who stood trial on murder charges — attacked Hines, the granddaughter of Freeman’s first wife, in a PCP-fuelled haze and was not aware of what he was doing.

Davenport, 33, appeared stoic as the verdict came down.

During the three-week trial, Biben heard testimony from eyewitnesses who watched in horror as Davenport plunged the knife over and over into the 33-year-old woman’s chest.

Hines’ estranged biological mother, Deena Adair, even took the stand to tearfully recount how the two were reconnecting in days before her daughter was killed.

Adair was in court on Monday to hear the verdict, and showed no reaction as Biben read her decision aloud.

Hines, an actor with no blood relation to the Shawshank Redemption star, was raised by Freeman’s second wife, Myrna Colley-Lee.

Rumours about her and the 80-year-old actor’s romantic involvement swirled for years, though both staunchly denied being in a sexual relationship.

It wasn’t until Davenport’s trial when the long-suspected affair was confirmed — when lawyers for both the defence and prosecution stipulated that Hines had “disclosed to Lamar Davenport and others that her grandfather engaged in a sexually inappropriate relationship with her.”

It wasn’t clear when the relationship took place, or when it started.

The defence initially argued their client should be found not guilty by reason of insanity, but switched gears when the judge ruled he no longer met the guidelines for that defence.

They then requested Biben find Davenport guilty of a lesser manslaughter charge.

Prosecutors argued Davenport fully intended to kill Hines, given that he attacked no one else on the street and the couple had smoked PCP together before without incident.

Davenport faces up to 25 years behind bars at his sentencing on May 29.