The Michigan Supreme Court is set to hear a high-profile case about a man who fatally shot a woman who banged on his door following a late-night car crash in suburban Detroit. Ted Wafer was convicted of second-degree murder after shooting 19-year-old Renisha McBride on his Dearborn Heights porch in 2013. The issue for the Supreme Court on Thursday is jury instructions.
The trial judge explained self-defense to jurors, but Wafer wanted the judge to tell jurors he shot McBride because he believed she was breaking into his house - a key distinction. McBride was drunk and had crashed her car earlier that night. Wafer says he was awakened by pounding at his door. The 58-year-old wants his conviction overturned.
Wafer was sentenced to at least 17 years in prison.
