Theodore Wafer found guilty of murdering Renisha McBride

Stay connected via Google News

Follow us for the latest updates from Unheard Voices

Theodore Wafer has been found guilty for the shooting death of Renisha McBride.

The suburban Detroit homeowner who shot and killed the unarmed woman on his porch was found guilty of second-degree murder and manslaughter on Thursday.

Theodore Wafer admits guilt

Wafer, 55, admitted to shooting Renisha McBride, 19, in the face when she appeared at his doorstep just before dawn on Nov. 2. He claimed it was self-defense.

On the night of McBride’s death, Wafer, who lives alone, said he awoke to “unbelievable” pounding on his door and feared for his life; so he opened fire.

His defense attorney argued that Wafer armed himself because he believed he was getting attacked.

But the prosecution argued that Wafer had better options than just shooting McBride. He could have, a prosecutor said, called 911 instead of acting as “judge, jury and executioner”.

“She was a young girl looking for help,” prosecutor Patrick Muscat told jurors. “What he did had to be immediately necessary and it wasn’t. It was reckless. It was negligent. I don’t know how to describe it. It was horrific.”

Hours before the incident, McBride had crashed her car into a parked car about a half-mile from Wafer’s home in Dearborn Heights, MI. Authorities say she was drunk when she appeared outside his home.

After the shooting, many wondered if race was a factor that caused Wafer, a white man, to pull the trigger and kill McBride, a black woman.

The airport maintenance employee, who had been free on bond, was ordered to jail to await his sentencing on Aug. 21. He faces life in prison with the possibility of parole.