Detroit homeowner given 17 years for murder of Renisha McBride

A Detroit homeowner who shot and killed a teenage girl who knocked on his door after having a car accident has been sentenced to at least 17 years in prison.

The New York Times reports that 55-year-old Theodore P. Wafer was convicted Aug. 7 on charges of second-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, and a weapons charge after two days of jury deliberation.

He was given two years on the weapons charge and a term of 15 to 30 years on the other charges, according to the Times. He faced a possible sentence of life in prison.

Wafer shot and killed an unarmed teenage girl name Renisha McBride Nov. 2, 2013. McBride had crashed her car after driving drunk and getting high on marijuana, according to testimony from a friend who was with her at the time of the crash. The crash occurred at 1 a.m. and after wandering around, she knocked on Wafer's house's door looking for help at around 4:30 a.m. She also moved to the side of the house before returning to the front.

Wafer was sleeping and woke up on hearing McBride's banging. He said he was afraid that someone was trying to break into his house causing him to grab his shotgun out of a closet.  He claimed he looked for his cell phone to call the police but could not find it. His house did not have a landline.

Wafer fired one shot that fatally wounded McBride. He then found his cell phone and called the police.

Wafer had claimed self-defense, but the jurors did not accept that argument because there was no evidence Wafer faced grave and imminent harm if he did not discharge his weapon. While Michigan has a castle doctrine law that means people do not have to fear for their life to use lethal force inside their home, McBride was clearly outside the house and did not try to illegally enter the premises.