Prosecutors are seeking a minimum of 17 years in prison for a white homeowner in a Detroit suburb convicted of murdering a black teenager after shooting her on his front porch last November, according to The Associated Press.
Theodore Wafer, 55, of Dearborn Heights, Mich., was convicted on Aug. 7 of second-degree murder, manslaughter and felony firearms charges in the death of 19-year-old Renisha McBride, the AP reported.
In a court filing, Wayne County prosecutors said Wafer's sentencing guidelines for murder call for a minimum punishment of anywhere between 15 and 25 years in prison, the AP reported. That would be in addition to an automatic two-year sentence for unlawful use of a gun.
Wafer will be sentenced on Wednesday, and Wayne County prosecutors are seeking 15 to 25 years in prison for the second-degree murder charge and two years for the felony firearms charge, said a person familiar with the case, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the case, according to the AP. It was not clear whether they would seek a prison sentence for the manslaughter conviction.
The case has sparked controversy in the Detroit area, which has long been troubled by racial tensions.
McBride was intoxicated and had been involved in a car crash earlier that night when she knocked on Wafer's door on a rainy November morning, according to the AP.
Wafer shot the teenager with a 12-gauge shotgun through a locked screen door, the AP reported.
During the trial, Wafer testified that he intentionally pulled the trigger when he thought a burglary was in progress, according to the AP. He earlier told police the shooting was an accident.
Last week, the McBride family filed a wrongful death civil lawsuit against Wafer in Wayne County Circuit Court and seeks $10 million in damages, the AP reported.
