Renisha McBride, 19, was shot Nov. 2 on a Dearborn Heights front porch
The lawyer for Theordore Wafer of Dearborn Heights says her client is shocked by the second-degree murder conviction in the shooting death of Renisha McBride, 19, and deeply remorseful, WWJ reported.
She's shocked, too. She's says she'll appeal the conviction.
WWJ and Associated Press reports that attorney Cheryl Carpenter told WWJ's Beth Fisher:
"I would have been able to understand if they had come back with a manslaughter conviction, but I do not understand a conviction for murder-two,” Carpenter said. “Under the law and how the prosecutors charged Ted, was that for the murder-two, no intent was needed. It’s more of a reckless disregard for life which is, when you think about it, what manslaughter really is. When you think of murder, you think of somebody intentionally wanting to kill another person and Ted never wanted to do that.”
“I am shocked by it. I don’t like it at all, at all, at all,” she said. “I wonder why they didn’t hear what I said. It’s like ‘What didn’t they believe? Why didn’t they believe it was honest and reasonable? Didn’t they believe Ted?’ I hope some jurors will contact me and let me know because it’s eating away at me.”
“If the jury didn’t agree with Ted’s actions, I will accept that,” she continued. “But I don’t think the jurors wanted him to die in prison. I hope they didn’t. Ted is not a cold-blooded killer. Yes, he did kill somebody, but it was a reaction to the fear he was feeling. It haunts him.”
Wafer faces up to life in prison when sentenced Aug. 25.
