Tag: Renisha McBride

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News Racism

The Killer of Renisha McBride Gets 17 to 32 Years in Prison

After finding Theodore Wafer guilty of killing Renisha McBride on his front porch when she knocked his door seeking help, the sentence for the crime was handed down today and 55-year-old Wafer will be locked away for a long time.

After an emotional trial in a city where racial tensions have been escalating during bankruptcy proceedings, Wafer was sentenced Wednesday to 17 to 32 years in prison as McBride’s family watched. Wafer is white and McBride was black.

“I do not believe that you are a coldblooded murderer or that this case had anything to do with race,” Judge Dana M. Hathaway told Wafer as she handed down the sentence. “I do believe that you acted out of fear, but an unjustified fear has never been an excuse for taking someone’s life.”

Wafer’s attorneys have already said that he plans to appeal. Wafer, an airport maintenance worker, read a short apology in court.

“To the parents, family and friends of Renisha McBride, I apologize from the bottom of my heart and I am truly sorry for your loss. I can only hope and pray,” he said, tearing up, “that somehow you can forgive me.”

Wafer will serve 17 years before he is up for parole

Categories
Politics

Judge Refused to Remove Herself From Renisha McBride Murder Case

Theodore Wafer

The motion was submitted by the defense attorneys and today, the judge in the Renisha McBride case denied that motion to remove herself from the case.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Qiana Lillard rejected the motion filed by Theodore Wafer’s attorneys, who argued that her previous employment with the prosecutor’s office and associations with employees create an appearance of impropriety. Lillard was a prosecutor for more than eight years before Gov. Rick Snyder appointed her to the bench last August.

Wafer is charged with second-degree murder after shooting Renisha McBride, 19, at his Dearborn Heights home. He said he believed McBride wanted to break in. Prosecutors say Wafer should have kept the door shut and called police instead of shooting. McBride was drunk and in a car crash three hours earlier.

Categories
Politics

Preliminary Hearings in Renisha McBride’s Killing Begins

Carmen Beasley heard a loud noise outside in the early morning hours of Nov. 2.

She called 911, looked out and saw a car had struck her husband’s vehicle. She then saw a woman holding her hands to her head as she walked away. The woman came back, and Beasley asked if she was OK.

“She just kept saying she wanted to go home,” Beasley said today while testifying in court.

Hours later, that woman was shot to death on the porch of Theodore Wafer’s home in Dearborn Heights.

Wafer’s preliminary examination began today in 20th District Court in Dearborn Heights and will resume Thursday. Prosecutors do not have more witnesses to call, but Wafer’s defense is continuing.

Wafer faces charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter — death by weapon aimed with intent but without malice, and felony firearm in the death of Renisha McBride, 19. McBride died from a gunshot wound to her face.

Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy previously said McBride was shot through a screen door. Firearms examiner David Balash, who is retired from the Michigan State Police, testified for the defense that in his opinion, McBride would not have been more than 2 feet from the gun when she was shot.

Assistant Wayne County Medical Examiner Kilak Kesha testified that McBride would have died immediately upon being shot. He said he found no evidence of close range firing based on the lack of soot or stippling.

Kesha said McBride’s injuries were too severe to determine whether she had suffered any brain injuries earlier.

Categories
murder News

Renisha McBride Update: Theodore Wafer Arraigned On Murder, Manslaughter Charges, Bail Set At $250K

UPDATE: 11/15/13, 3:02 P.M. ET

Theodore P. Wafer was arraigned on second-degree murder, manslaughter and felony firearms charges this afternoon at the Dearborn Heights District Court, reports MyFoxDetroit.

Wafer’s bail was set at $250,000, with a preliminary examination set for Dec. 18.

See arraignment below:

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Theodore P. Wafer, 54, has been charged with second-degree murder and manslaughter in the shooting death of 19-year-old Renisha McBride.

MUST READ: Only In America: Renisha McBride’s Killer ‘Justified,’ Says Attorney

Wafer shot McBride in the face at approximately 3:40 a.m. Nov. 2, on the front porch of his Dearborn Heights home, located in a predominately White suburb in Detroit. But, according to dispatch records, he waited to 4:40 a.m. to call 911.

McBride’s toxicology results showed that the 19-year-old had a blood-alcohol level of .218 — more than twice the legal limit, reports CBS News. It’s also 10 times the legal amount for drivers under 21 years of age. Marijuana was also detected, but the level was so low it suggests that McBride had not used the drug the day of her death.

Gerald Thurswell, the attorney representing McBride’s family, said the results should have no bearing on the case:

“The bottom line in this whole case is that he was in his house, the door is locked, he has a phone,” said Thurswell of Wafer. “All he had to do was call 911. Maybe she would have been arrested because she was drunk – but she’d be alive.”

h/t – hellobeautiful

Categories
Featured News shooting

Detroit Woman Shot To Death Seeking Help After Car Accident

Renisha McBride, 19, was shot to death in a Dearborn Heights, Michigan neighborhood after seeking help following a car crash, reports The Detroit News.

At approximately 2:30 a.m. Saturday morning, McBride knocked on the door of a home, hoping for assistance. Instead, she got a gunshot wound to the head.
“He shot her in the head … for what? For knocking on his door,” said McBride’s maternal aunt, Bernita Spinks. “If he felt scared or threatened, he should have called 911.”

“You see a young black lady on your porch and you shoot?” asked Spinks. “He killed my niece and he needs to pay for it. He needs to be in jail.
“There was no windows broken. My niece didn’t bother anyone,” said Spinks. “She went looking for help and now she’s dead.”

The Dearborn Police Department have confirmed the shooting, but have not released the name of the suspect. They initially told McBride’s family that her body was “dumped,” but have now admitted that she died on the man’s porch, reports FOX 32.

The investigation is ongoing and findings will be forwarded to the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office for review.

Read more here: http://hellobeautiful.com/2013/11/05/renisha-mcbride-shot-after-car-accident/

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