Newlywed Couple Charged in Death of Groomsman on Their Wedding Day
A Michigan man, James Shirah, has been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing a groomsman, Terry Lewis Taylor Jr., on his own wedding day. The incident occurred on August 30 when Flint police responded to reports of a man being hit by a vehicle. Taylor, 29, had been involved in an argument after the wedding festivities before being struck by a large SUV that was reportedly traveling at high speed. Along with Shirah, the bride, Savahna Collier, has been charged as an accessory after the fact, with a bail set at $4,000. Prosecutor David Leyton indicated that alcohol consumption may have played a role in the altercation leading to the tragedy. Both Shirah and Collier initially went missing following the incident but later surrendered to police. The event has raised concerns and dialogue about the dangers of taking the law into one’s own hands, particularly after celebrations such as weddings.
A Michigan man has been charged with killing a groomsman in an incident that happened on the suspect’s wedding day.
James Shirah, 22, has been charged with second-degree murder and is held without bond, according to WEYI-TV.
Flint police posted on Facebook that on Friday, August 30, they responded to a report of a man hit by a vehicle. Terry Lewis Taylor Jr., 29, was later pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.
The post said Taylor had been a groomsman at a wedding, but was involved in an argument after the wedding.
James Shirah was charged with second-degree murder and was denied bond. The bride was charged as an accessory. https://t.co/AKJPCmrpOp
— Local 4 WDIV Detroit (@Local4News) September 5, 2024
Taylor was struck by a large SUV police said was “travelling at a high rate of speed.”
The groom was not the only person charged. The bride, 21-year-old Savahna Collier was charged as an accessory after the fact to a felony with bail set at $4,000.
“I guess the wedding day was happy up until that point,” said Genesee County Prosecutor David Leyton said, according to WJRT-TV.
Leyton said he believed that consumption of alcohol was related to the events that followed.
“It’s a terrible series of events. You can’t take the law into your own hands. That’s apparently what happened here,” he said.
Leyton said the bride and groom were out of contact immediately after the incident.
“They disappeared, they eventually do turn themselves in, they don’t produce the car, they don’t produce the cell phones,” he said.
“We feel that they had certainly discussed what they were going to tell the police,” Leyton said.
Leyton said the bride and groom turned themselves in to police the day after the incident , making it “more difficult to unravel what happened,” according to CBS.
Leyton said the wedding took place at a pizzeria, but the argument happened later at a house where a celebration of the wedding was underway.
“I’ve never seen anything quite like this,” Leyton said,
“I’ve seen people running over other people but not so soon after a wedding,” he said.
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