Detroit Homeowner Guilty of Murder in Teen Shooting

A homeowner in Detroit who shot to death a 19-year-old woman on his porch in the middle of the night has been convicted of second-degree murder and faces life in prison, reports NBC News. The jury also found 55-year-old Theodore Wafer guilty of manslaughter and a felony weapons charge in the November 2013 shooting of Renisha McBride. Wafer says he heard loud banging on his door about 4:40am and thought someone was trying to break in. He grabbed his 12-gauge shotgun, opened the door, and shot McBride in the face.

"It was devastating," Wafer said in court this week, reports the LA Times. "This poor girl, she had her whole life in front of her. I took that from her." He called the shooting a "total reflex action," adding that he feared for his life and "wasn't going to cower in my house." McBride showed up on his porch after a late-night car crash, and prosecutors say Wafer thought neighborhood kids who vandalized his car had returned to torment him, reports the Detroit News. "He wanted a confrontation," said one in court. (More Renisha McBride stories.)