Justice for Renisha: jurors began deliberating in Renisha McBride case
Jurors have begun deliberating in the trial of a suburban Detroit man charged with second-degree murder for fatally shooting an unarmed teen outside his home last year.
Theodore Wafer, 55, shot and killed Renisha McBride as she banged on his front door in the early hours of Nov. 2.
The Wayne County court jury left the courtroom to begin discussing the case Wednesday after attorneys made their closing arguments.
Prosecutor Patrick Muscat urged jurors to convict 55-year-old Theodore Wafer of second-degree murder in the Nov. 2 shooting of 19-year-old Renisha McBride. He says Wafer handled his shotgun “like a toy” and should have stayed safely in his Dearborn Heights home and called police.[…]
If convicted of second-degree murder he could face up to life in prison with the possibility of parole.
Instead of handling his shotgun “like a toy” and shooting an unarmed woman who showed up at his home early one morning, a suburban Detroit man should have kept his doors locked and called police, a prosecutor said Wednesday, urging jurors to convict him of murder.
Theodore Wafer didn’t need to confront Renisha McBride on the porch of his Dearborn Heights home at 4:30 a.m. Nov. 2, prosecutor Patrick Muscat said during his closing arguments in Wafer’s trial.
“He had so many other options,” said Muscat.
In addition to the second-degree murder charge, Wafer is charged with manslaughter. McBride showed up intoxicated at his home approximately 3 1/2 hours after she crashed her car into a parked vehicle on a street a half-mile away.
Wafer, who is claiming self-defense, testified that he feared for his life after being awoken by loud banging on his doors. He said he shot McBride in self-defense after she came rushing out from the side of his house.
Jurors could convict Wafer of involuntary manslaughter which holds a lesser charge. There is also the possibility that he may walk free.
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