Judge Cries as She Sentences White Man to 17 Years for Fatally Shooting Unarmed Black Teen Renisha McBride on His Porch
Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Dana Hathaway was brought to tears in Detroit Wednesday as she sentenced 55-year-old white homeowner Theodore Wafer to at least 17 years in prison for fatally shooting Renisha McBride, 17, on his front porch as she tried seeking help after her car crashed last November.
"This one of the saddest cases," said a tearful Hathaway as she sentenced Wafer at the end of an emotional hearing, according to Reuters. "An unjustified fear is never an excuse to take someone's life."
The racially charged case had sparked protests in the Detroit area. Wafer shot dead McBride when she banged on his front door, apparently seeking help one rainy morning last November, after her car had crashed in the vicinity of his Dearborn Heights suburban neighborhood. She was also intoxicated.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
Wafer, an airport maintenance worker, told the court that he was in fear of his life so he opened his front door armed with a 12-gauge Mossberg shotgun and shot McBride in the face. He told police that he believed someone was trying to break into his house.
Although he also told police that his gun went off by accident, prosecutors persuaded a jury that Wafer not only intended to kill but had previous experience with firearms and could have solved the situation differently.
Judge Hathaway sentenced Wafer Wednesday to a mandatory two years for felony firearm usage. In addition, he received concurrent sentences of seven to 15 years for manslaughter as well as 15 to 30 years for second-degree murder.
He must serve a minimum of 17 years in prison before he is eligible for parole and a maximum of 32 years, according to Reuters. His attorney, Cheryl Carpenter, said he is expected to appeal the sentence through a public defender.
Gerald Thurswell, a lawyer representing McBride's family, said they were "very happy" with the sentence.
"I'll never have the opportunity to see her grow up, be a woman and have kids," McBride's father, Walter Simmons, had told the court during the sentencing hearing.
Wafer asked McBride's family to forgive him during the hearing and said he would bear the burden of her death for the rest of his life.
"From my fear I caused the loss of a life who was too young to leave this world," he said during the hearing. "From that I will carry this guilt and sorrow forever."
Although promising to try and forgive him, McBride's family, who have filed a $10 million civil lawsuit against Wafer, say they don't believe his apology was sincere.
"I don't believe the apology was sincere," McBride's sister, Jasmine McBride, told FOX 2. "To me it doesn't sound as if he was remorseful. I believe it was just stated as trying to get mercy on his sentence."
"Justice was served," said McBride's father. "They gave him the time that he deserved and he had no remorse. It all was fake. That's how I feel about it."
