In the quiet community of Beulah, a tragic event unfolded on the evening of Sunday, June 1, 2025, leading to the death of 58-year-old Oscar Lee Eiland of Opelika. Around 7:18 p.m., the Lee County Sheriff's Office received a 9-1-1 call about a shooting in the 100 block of Lee Road 685. Upon their arrival, deputies discovered a tense and urgent scene.
Deputies found Eiland at his residence with what appeared to be multiple gunshot wounds to his pelvic and groin area. They immediately began performing CPR until emergency medical services arrived. Eiland was then transported by ambulance to East Alabama Medical Center in Opelika. Despite the efforts to save him, he succumbed to his injuries and was pronounced dead at 8:35 p.m. His body was scheduled to be taken to the Alabama Department of Forensic Sciences for a postmortem examination.
As deputies were securing the scene, they located 58-year-old Christopher James Espey Futral, also of Opelika, hiding behind a fence. Futral called out to the deputies, stating he was putting his gun down and would come out with his hands up. He was then immediately detained and placed in a patrol unit.
Investigators recovered a. 243 caliber bolt-action hunting rifle and several spent shell casings from the yard of Futral's residence. Authorities determined that Futral had shot Eiland from a perched position approximately 75 yards away. During questioning, Futral admitted to the shooting but claimed that he had missed his intended target. Following his confession, Christopher James Espey Futral was arrested and charged with murder. He was subsequently held in the Lee County Detention Center with no bond, awaiting an Aniah's Law Hearing.
