Theodore Paul Wafer, the 54-year- old homeowner who fatally shot 19-year- old Renisha McBride on his front porch, is facing murder charges. Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy announced today that Wafer is being charged with multiple felony counts for his decision to kill McBride. Wafer is being charged with second degree murder, manslaughter, and using a firearm during the commission of a felony.
Worthy stated that Wafer did not act in lawful self-defense. Police discovered no evidence of forced entry. Michigan law stipulates that a homeowner can use lethal force if someone breaks into his home or if he feels that his life is in danger. McBride apparently made no attempt to enter the home and she did not pose a threat to kill the man.
Little is known about Theodore Wafer at this time, but a woman claiming to be an ex-girlfriend of his shared a snippet of his personality in an interview with The Daily Mail. She stated that:
We went out for a few months, but we had some major problems because he really liked to drink. I was no angel, but I thought he drank far too much and it was a problem for him. We split up because of his drinking and one evening he came over to try to reconcile, but we ended up having a physical fight. It was just pushing and shoving and the police weren’t called, but it was pretty unpleasant and left me with bruises on my arms. I saw a very nasty side to him…I haven’t seen him since. Despite all of that and how much of a jerk he was to me, I was still stunned when I heard he had been caught up in the shooting….He was very cocky and confident and could be argumentative, but he wasn’t ever some kind of gun nut and he wasn’t really violent.
Police believe McBride crashed her car into a parked vehicle around 1 AM on November 2nd. Around 3:40 AM Wafer shot her on his front porch. Toxicology reports listed her blood alcohol content at .218 around the time of her death. Wafer’s Attorney will undoubtedly try to use McBride’s intoxication to defend her client’s decision to use lethal force. However, if the attorney is unable to demonstrate that McBride posed a clear threat to Mr. Wafer’s physical safety, her blood alcohol content is not a justification for killing her.
Edited/Published by: SB
