porch shooter guilty

[dragon]

A Detroit jury ruled today that Theodore Wafer was guilty of murder in the shooting death of unarmed teenager Renisha McBride on his porch.

The jury, which consisted of seven men and five women, began its deliberations on Wednesday after nine days of testimony. The verdict came on the second day of deliberations.

Wafer, 55, was charged with second degree murder and manslaughter for shooting and killing McBride, 19, last November when the teenager showed up inebriated on his porch at 4:40 a.m. The jury found him guilty of second degree murder.

He will be sentenced Aug. 21 and could face a maximum of life in prison with parole.

Wafer said he could only make out a figure around his house, said the person pounded on his door and made him fear for his life.
When the jury began its deliberations, they immediately made several requests, including to have Wafer's shotgun and his screen door brought to the jury room.

The screen door is comprised of a steel frame with a screen insert held in place by clips. Investigators found the screen insert out of position when they arrived on the shooting scene, according to testimony.

The defense argued that the screen was awry because of the way because McBride pounded on the door. Prosecutors told the court that the screen could have slipped out of position days or weeks before the shooting and there was no evidence it was caused by McBride.

Under a 2006 Michigan self-defense law, a homeowner has the right to use force during a break-in. Otherwise, a person must prove his or her life was in danger.

link

[Channel72]

Well, I agree with the verdict. You don't just shoot someone who knocks on your door, especially at 4am when it's likely an emergency. Wafer should have just called the police if he really feared for his life.

[General Zod]

Don't go around shooting the fuck out of things if you don't know what you're aiming at. Open and closed case, really.

[Iroscato]

I wonder what the reaction will be from the right-wing gun nuts, if any.
Also, dragon: Shift. Key. Use it when starting a sentence and your posts will be far less irritating

[Borgholio]

An update - he has been sentenced to 17 years in prison.

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/michigan-po ... a-mcbride/

DETROIT - A judge has sentenced a suburban Detroit man to 17 years in prison for killing an unarmed woman on his porch.

Theodore Wafer was sentenced Wednesday for the second-degree murder of Renisha McBride. Before sentencing, the 55-year-old Dearborn Heights man told the young woman's parents he was sorry for what happened during the early morning hours of Nov. 2.

Prosecutors recommended at least 17 years in prison for Wafer, including two years for unlawful use of a gun. During trial, he said he shot the 19-year-old because he feared for his life, but a jury rejected Wafer's claim of self-defense.

Defense attorney Cheryl Carpenter asked for as few as six years in prison.

Wafer never denied shooting McBride in the face when she showed up drunk on his porch last November, according to CBS Detroit. He testified that he shot the victim in self-defense after she pounded on his door and allegedly attempted to break into his home.

The station reports McBride had an extremely high blood-alcohol level at the time of the incident. She was shot three hours after walking away from a car crash in Detroit, roughly a half-mile away from Wafer's home.