Morgan Freeman accused of affair with his step-granddaughter

Actor Morgan Freeman and E'Dena Hines at the 62nd Annual Golden Globe Awards. Photo / Getty Images

Attorneys representing the man accused of slaughtering Morgan Freeman's step-granddaughter stated in court on Friday that the victim had told the defendant that the Oscar winner had a sexual relationship with her.

The bombshell revelation concerning the Shawshank Redemption star and E'Dena Hines, 33, came to light during the ongoing trial of 30-year-old Lamar Davenport, who is accused of stabbing her 25 times in a drug-fueled rage in 2015, reports Daily Mail.

"E'Dena Hines disclosed to Lamar Davenport and others that her grandfather engaged in a sexually inappropriate relationship with her," Davenport's lawyer Annie Costanzo told the court, reported New York Daily News.

It is not clear at this point why the defense chose to disclose this information in open court, or how it might be relevant to the murder case.

But a therapist testified that Davenport admitted to frequent arguments with Hines about infidelity during which each accused the other of being unfaithful.

Hines was the biological daughter of a woman Freeman and his first wife adopted as a child.

They were not related by blood.

Freeman and his second wife then helped raise the girl.

Rumors about Freeman and Hines have been swirling for nearly a decade, beginning in 2009 when The National Enquirer published a story alleging that the Hollywood A-lister was involved in a years-long affair with his step-granddaughter.

The magazine also quote a friend of hers saying she wanted to marry the actor.

Three years before Hines' violent death, it was reported that Freeman was planning to marry her, but they both vehemently denied being romantically involved.

Morgan Freeman speak onstage at WE Day California. Photo / Getty Images

"The recent reports of any pending marriage or romantic relationship of me to anyone are defamatory fabrications from the tabloid media designed to sell papers," Freeman said in a statement in 2012. "What is even more alarming is that these fabrications are now being picked up by the legitimate press as well."

Hines, then aged 27, said: "These stories about me and my grandfather are not only untrue, they are also hurtful to me and my family."

Morgan was married to Jeanette Adair Bradshaw from 1967 until 1979.

He then married costume designer Myrna Colley-Lee on June 16, 1984, and the two later adopted his step-granddaughter E'dena and raised her together.

The couple finally divorced in 2010 after a messy break up.

Hines was stabbed 25 times in the street in Washington Heights on August 16, 2015, at 2.50am.

Davenport's attorneys argue he is not guilty of the violent crime by reason of insanity because he was in the throes of a PCP-induced psychosis at the time of the attack.

Hines and Davenport, a rapper, had been living together in a $780,000 apartment that Freeman had bought for Hines.

During their nine-year relationship, Davenport fathered children with other women and abused drugs.

Davenport denies the killing. He was taken to a psychiatric facility immediately after her death but has been in custody ever since.

Last week, the court heard testimony from a witness who described how Hines was repeatedly stabbed in the back, neck and chest by Davenport, who was heard yelling about releasing the devil from her.

The jury was also shown footage recorded by Hines just hours before her killing, which showed her intoxicated boyfriend sitting at a table with friends and angrily yelling at her to stop filming.