James Shirah was 24 years old, had just gotten married, and was still wearing his wedding clothes when he ran over Terry Taylor Jr. with his vehicle, his best friend, the person he had chosen as his best man that very day. The crime occurred on August 30, 2024, in Flint, Michigan, just hours after the reception. Shirah had consumed alcohol for much of the day. After the party, the group moved to a private home. That is where the argument began. What came next turned him into the killer of the person he trusted most.
On May 11, 2026, the Genesee County Court sentenced him to between 30 and 45 years in prison. Upon hearing the sentence, Shirah cried. Before he was removed from the courtroom, he stated: ‘The only thing I can do for the rest of my life is express my apologies and my remorse. I will always regret it.’ The judge did not absolve him with those words. He looked at him and said something that was recorded in the case file: ‘I do not believe you are a criminal, but you are a killer.’
His wife, Savanah Collier, faces charges for assisting after the crime. Her hearing was set for late May 2026. Shirah’s defense argued that the hit-and-run was not intentional. The jury decided that it was.
