Today, a Michigan judge decided that Theodore Wafer, the man who shot and killed 19-year-old Renisha McBride in Dearborn Heights, Mich. last month, will stand trial for second-degree murder.
Wafer's lawyer, Cheryl Carpenter, claimed that he shot McBride in the face with a shotgun because he was startled. "If someone is breaking into a home there is a presumption that a homeowner can use deadly force," Carpenter argued.
However, Wayne County prosecutor Danielle Hagaman-Clark refused to believe that Wafer would open the door if he was truly afraid. "He shoved that shotgun in her face and pulled the trigger," she said.
Three hours prior to her death, McBride crashed her vehicle into a parked car about half a mile from Detroit. Though it's been determined that she walked away from the accident, it's still unclear what she did between that and ending up on Wafer's porch. According to an autopsy, McBride's blood-alcohol level was .22 and she had marijuana system.
Judge David Turfe rejected the argument that Wafer simply made a poor decision. "We can't allow (someone) to use a bad decision as a shield to criminal prosecution. ... The defendant made a bad choice," Turfe said.
[via New York Daily News]
