Inset: Sheila A. Curtis (Shelby County Sheriff’s Office). Background: The area in Tennessee where Curtis’ husband crashed and later died (Google Maps).
A two-car collision in Tennessee last week left the 56-year-old driver of one of the vehicles dead and resulted in his wife being charged with murder for allegedly stabbing him prior to the crash. Sheila Ann Curtis, 56, was taken into custody over the weekend and charged with one count of second-degree murder in the slaying of Derrick Curtis, authorities confirmed to Law&Crime.
According to the Shelby County Sheriff’s Office, deputies at about 9:55 p.m. on the night of Nov. 29 responded to reports of a multi-vehicle collision with serious injuries near the intersection of Houston Levee Road and Macon Road in Cordova. Upon arriving at the scene, deputies said they found one of the vehicles involved in the crash, a Chevrolet Colorado, “off the roadway in a ditch.”
Emergency medical personnel with the Shelby County Fire Department were already on the scene and performing lifesaving measures on the victim, later identified as Derrick Curtis, before transporting him via ambulance to Regional One Health in Memphis. He was pronounced dead shortly after arriving at the facility.
During the initial investigation, deputies discovered that Derrick Curtis “had suffered life-threatening injuries before the crash.” The injuries, which were stab wounds, “were a contributing factor in the crash,” the release states.
Detectives with the SCSO Violent Crimes Unit “immediately” opened an investigation into the circumstances of the crash and what took place before the collision and determined that his wife, Sheila Curtis, was the assailant.
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“Through investigative efforts, they discovered that the injuries Mr. Curtis sustained before the crash were not accidental, and detectives identified his wife, Sheila Curtis, 56, as the individual responsible,” the sheriff’s office said.
A probable cause affidavit obtained by Memphis NBC affiliate WMC provided additional details about what led to the arrest of Sheila Curtis.
According to the report, first responders said that when they first reached Derrick Curtis, he was bleeding profusely from a wound that “did not seem to be consistent with the minor damage” suffered in the collision. Deputies also highlighted that there was a large pool of blood on the driver’s side floorboards.
Derrick Curtis was reportedly able to speak with the paramedics, telling them his wife had just stabbed him. Medical personnel said he had suffered three separate stab wounds to his left leg.
In an interview with detectives, Sheila Curtis denied being involved in the stabbing. She reportedly said she and her husband had attended a funeral together and got into an argument on the way home. However, she claimed that Derrick Curtis dropped her off at their residence before driving away and crashing.
Detectives said Sheila Curtis refused to discuss what she and her husband fought about, but the couple reportedly had a history of domestic violence.
A family member told deputies that shortly after Derrick Curtis crashed, the family member picked up Sheila Curtis and Sheila’s mother. They were about two miles south of the crash site. During the drive, Sheila’s mother reportedly told the family member they needed a ride because Sheila and Derrick Curtis had “gotten into it” on the way back from the funeral.
Sheila Curtis is currently being held in the Shelby County Jail on $500,000 bond. She is scheduled to appear in court for a bond hearing on Wednesday morning, according to court records.
