Groom receives lengthy prison sentence for killing best man on wedding night

GENESEE COUNTY, Mich. (WNEM/Gray News) - A groom will serve decades in prison and his bride has pleaded guilty after prosecutors said the groom ran over his best man on their wedding day.

James Shirah and Savanah Collier were married on Aug. 30, 2024, at a pizzeria.

Prosecutors said the celebration later moved to a home, where the best man, 29-year-old Terry Lewis Taylor Jr., got into an argument with Shirah after a fight with his girlfriend.

Caught on camera a short time later, Taylor Jr. can be seen running down the street before being hit by an SUV at a high speed. Taylor later died at a hospital.

Police said the SUV was driven by the groom of the wedding, Shirah.

Shirah was charged with second-degree murder, driving with a suspended license and failure to stop at the scene of a crash resulting in death.

According to court records, he pleaded no contest in April as part of a plea deal. Shirah was sentenced on Monday to a minimum of 30 years in prison.

Collier, the bride, was charged as an accessory after the fact to a felony. According to court records, she pleaded guilty, requesting to be sentenced under the Holmes Youthful Trainee Act.

If the sentencing request is approved, the criminal charge against her will be dismissed if she successfully completes a term of probation.

A sentence hearing has been scheduled for Collier on May 26 at 9 a.m.