Edward James D. Futch, a 45-year-old Black man from Savannah, Georgia, lost his life in a shooting on the evening of October 8, 2021. He was at the Coastal Place Apartments, located in a Southside neighborhood off Tibet Avenue, when gunfire erupted around 6 p.m. Futch sustained life-threatening injuries and was rushed to a local hospital, but he died a short time later.
The Savannah Police Department’s Violent Crimes unit immediately began a homicide investigation.
Detectives responding to the scene spoke with eyewitnesses who were able to provide a description of the suspected shooter. Based on this information, officers located a man matching the description in the vicinity of the crime.
The individual was identified as 54-year-old Charlie Sapp. He was taken into custody and subsequently arrested and charged in connection with the death of Edward Futch. The charges against Sapp included malice murder, felony murder, aggravated assault, and possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Sapp’s case went to a jury trial, which concluded in November 2022. During the proceedings, Chatham County Superior Court Judge John E. Morse, Jr. determined that there was insufficient evidence for the jury to consider the murder charges. The judge issued a directed verdict, acquitting Sapp of malice murder and felony murder. The jury then found Sapp not guilty of the remaining charges of aggravated assault and the related weapons offense.
Following the acquittal of the only person arrested in the case, the killing of Edward Futch remains unsolved as of November 2022.
