A Michigan man who claims he shot an unarmed teenager in defense will stand trial for murder, a judge ruled Thursday.
Theodore Wafer, who lives in the suburbs of Dearborn Heights, fatally shot 19-year-old Renisha McBride on his porch after she knocked on his door the morning of Nov. 2. Wafer's Defense attorneys said he was defending himself because he thought his life was in danger, The New York Times reported.
Judge David Turfe of the 20th District Court in Dearborn Heights disagreed.
"He chose to shoot rather than not answer the door," the judge said, according to the Detroit Free Press.
Wafer, 54, will stand trial for second-degree murder, death by weapon aimed with intent but without malice and felony firearm, the Detroit Free Press reported. Wafer's defense attorneys claim there's no evidence suggesting Wafer intended to kill McBride.
Around 4:30 a.m., Wafer called 911 and said he shot someone who was knocking heavily on his door. The woman he shot, McBride, got into a car accident three hours earlier where she crashed her car into a parked car, the Times reported.
Carmen Beasley, whose husband owned the parked car, told the judge she called 911 after she heard a noise outside. When Beasley saw McBride, she said the woman appeared drunk, confused and kept saying she wanted to go home, the Detroit Free Press reported. An autopsy report found her blood alcohol level was 0.22, more than twice the legal driving limit.
According to The New York Times, McBride was also bleeding, but left the scene before the ambulance arrived. McBride arrived on Wafer's porch and pounded on his door. Wafer opened his door and aimed his shotgun at McBride through the door's screen.
Cheryl Carpenter, one of Wafer's attorneys, asserted that "if someone is breaking into a home, there is a presumption that a homeowner can use deadly force," the Times reported.
Assistant prosecutor Danielle Hagaman-Clark, however, said Wafer couldn't have been that afraid if he opened the door and used his gun instead of calling the police first, the Times reported.
McBride's family praised the judge's ruling.
"Thank you Lord, thank you Jesus," said Bernita Spinks, McBride's aunt, according to the Detroit Free Press. "I knew God was working."
