A Detroit-area man who fatally shot a drunk, unarmed woman on his porch will stand trial for second-degree murder, a judge said Thursday, rejecting a self-defense argument for the killer’s “bad choice.” There is no dispute that Theodore Wafer shot Renisha McBride, 19, through the screen of his front door in the early hours of Nov. 2. His attorneys said the 54-year-old man feared for his life, but Dearborn Heights Judge David Turfe said there were other ways to protect himself, including a phone call for help. “This court recognizes you can’t automatically penalize someone for making a bad decision when pressed to react quickly,” the judge said. “But at the same time we can’t allow one to use a bad decision as a shield to criminal prosecution. “The defendant made a bad choice when there were other reasonable opportunities,” Turfe said. Defense attorney Cheryl Carpenter said Wafer didn’t intend to kill McBride, only protect himself. She referred to Michigan’s 2006 self-defense law. But Wayne County assistant prosecutor Danielle Hagaman-Clark said it’s “ridiculous” to believe that Wafer was deeply afraid yet still decided to open the door and fire instead of first calling Dearborn Heights police. “He shoved that shotgun in her face and pulled the trigger,” Hagaman-Clark said. Wafer called 911 around 4:30 a.m. and said he had shot someone who was banging on his door. More than three hours earlier, McBride had crashed her car into a parked car in a residential neighborhood, about a half-mile away in Detroit. A witness said McBride was bleeding and holding her head. She apparently walked away from the scene before an ambulance arrived. It’s still unclear, at least publicly, what she did between the time of the car wreck and her arrival on Wafer’s porch. An autopsy found McBride had a blood-alcohol level of about 0.22, more than twice the legal limit for driving. She also had been smoking marijuana. Her best friend, Amber Jenkins, 18, said they had been drinking vodka and playing cards seven to eight hours before the shooting was reported to 911. A second-degree murder conviction can carry a sentence of up to life in prison. A trial judge would have discretion. Story provided by: NewsOne
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