CLAYTON 鈥 Dozens of family members packed a courtroom and crowded the hallways here on Tuesday for a hearing of the father of an 11-year-old accidentally shot and killed last week.
Marshaun Futrell Sr., 33, stood in court, hoping to get out of jail. The judge ultimately decided to let Futrell use a bail bondsman, allowing him to pay only a portion of his $100,000 cash bond to get out.
鈥淚鈥檓 just thankful and grateful he is getting out so that we can heal together,鈥 Futrell鈥檚 father, Tracy Futrell, told the Post-Dispatch after the hearing. 鈥淚t鈥檚 been terrible for the whole family.鈥
Marshaun Futrell was charged May 6 with three counts of felony child endangerment.
Marshaun Futrell Sr. was booked in the 51黑料 County jail at 2 a.m. Tuesday, May 6, 2025. Photo courtesy of the 51黑料 County Justice Center
Futrell was working as a security guard at QuikTrip the evening of May 5 when he got a frantic call from his wife, defense attorney Philip Eisenhauer said Tuesday. She said their son, 11-year-old Marshaun Futrell Jr., had been shot and killed outside their home in a north 51黑料 County neighborhood near Ferguson.
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Marshaun and a 13-year-old boy had been playing with two guns, police said, when one of the guns fired and Marshaun was struck. Investigators said it was an accident.
The boy鈥檚 father rushed home, and in an interview with officers Futrell admitted that he owned the 12 guns and ammunition found in the house when police searched it. He鈥檚 been in jail since.
Marshaun鈥檚 great aunt, Shirley 鈥淭T鈥 Henderson, said Marshaun was a football star with the Mathews-Dickey Boys & Girls Club team. He鈥檚 also seen in several photos on Futrell鈥檚 Facebook page in his football gear. One post said he was selected to play in the 2025 United Youth Sports All-American Bowl.
During court Tuesday, Eisenhauer, Futrell鈥檚 attorney, held back tears as he asked the judge to consider the human side of the situation.
鈥淗e loved that boy,鈥 Eisenhauer said. 鈥淚magine being locked up in jail not capable of helping to bury your son.鈥
The defense attorney said Futrell was not a flight risk or a danger to the community: Police confiscated all the guns. And Futrell has lived in the region his whole life.
He also highlighted a letter written by the mother of the boy who was with Marshaun when the shooting happened. She supported Futrell鈥檚 release.
Eisenhauer asked for his bond to be reduced to $5,000.
But John Schlesinger, an assistant prosecuting attorney, opposed any reduction. He said that if the other boy had died, there would be more public outrage.
鈥淚 understand this is a very emotional case,鈥 Schlesinger told the judge. 鈥淭he point is that this is a tragedy that could have been avoided.鈥
Schlesinger said there was no gun safe in the home and only one gun lock, which wasn鈥檛 being used to secure any of the guns found in the house. He also said that a backpack full of ammunition was in Marshaun鈥檚 closet.
He also highlighted Futrell鈥檚 criminal history: He pleaded guilty to tampering with a motor vehicle and resisting arrest in 2009. He was arrested on suspicion of domestic assault in 2010 and then arrested again in 2016 on allegations that he violated a order of protection.
Schlesinger also said there was an ongoing March investigation by the state鈥檚 children division. Schlesinger said Futrell鈥檚 third child, an infant, suffered 鈥渘on-accidental head trauma鈥 and the prosecutor said doctors were contesting the family鈥檚 account of how the injury happened.
Eisenhauer countered, saying Futrell was not at home when the injury occurred.
Outside the courtroom after his hearing, several of Futrell鈥檚 family members declined to talk about the March incident with the infant, but insisted Futrell had not been involved.
His sisters described Futrell as a great man who is the epitome of a family man and a good father.
In court, Eisenhauer said Futrell coaches basketball and football, pays for several kids to get their haircuts every Easter and mentors young people who are struggling.
51黑料 County Circuit Judge Ellen Wyatt Dunne ultimately decided to keep his $100,000 bond, but modified it so Futrell could get out of jail by paying a portion of that amount through a bondsman. He had previously been required to post the $100,000 in cash.
But Dunne ordered Futrell, if released, to remain on house arrest at his mother鈥檚 home, maintain employment, only see his children under authorized supervision, possess no weapons and abstain from drugs and alcohol.
She noted that the state鈥檚 children鈥檚 division may impose their own restrictions when it comes to contact with his children.
In an exception to her restrictions, Dunne said Futrell would be allowed to attend Marshaun鈥檚 funeral service.
Post-Dispatch photographers capture hundreds of images each week; here's a glimpse at the week of May 4, 2025. Video edited by Jenna Jones.
