MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A man charged in a deadly hit-and-run that killed a motorcyclist in midtown Memphis in July 2023 is now out of jail on bond, according to court records.
James Futrell Jr., 41, is charged with leaving the scene of an accident involving death and failure to yield right of way resulting in death. He was booked on the charges Nov. 16, 2023, and was released from the Shelby County Jail the next day after posting $2,500 bond.
MPD officers responded to the scene at Poplar Ave. and Cooper St. just before 11:45 p.m. on Wednesday, July 5, 2023. They said a driver struck an 18-year-old man who was on a motorcycle and then took off. The man, identified in the affidavit as Nadarrius Wells, died at the scene.
According to the affidavit, the driver, later identified as Futrell, was westbound on Poplar when he turned left to go southbound on Cooper and failed to yield, causing Wells to hit Futrell's car.
The affidavit said Futrell called investigators the next day saying he was responsible and wanted to turn himself in. On July 7, police said they went to the address Futrell provided and found the car involved, registered to Futrell. But according to the affidavit, Futrell wasn't there, and when police called him, he said he spoke with an attorney and was "advised not to talk with police."
According to the affidavit, a tipster told police Futrell confessed that he was the driver involved in the crash, and that he had taken off.