By BOB OLIVER
Times-Herald Newspapers
HEIGHTS — The man accused of shooting and killing a 19-year-old Detroit woman on his front porch in November was arraigned Jan. 15 in the Wayne County Circuit Court on three charges and is scheduled to begin his jury trial June 2.
Theodore Paul Wafer, 54, was arraigned before Wayne County Circuit Court Judge Qiana Lillard on the charges of second degree murder, manslaughter and felony firearm for his role in the shooting death of Renisha McBride on Nov. 2.
The second degree murder charge carries a penalty of any term of years up to life in prison, the manslaughter carries a penalty of up to 15 years in prison and the felony firearm charge carries a penalty of two years mandatory consecutive.
Lillard set a final conference date of April 4 and a jury trial date of June 2. Bond was continued for Wafer, who is free on a $250,000, 10 percent bond, cash or surety.
Wafer is charged with shooting and killing McBride with a shotgun at his house in the 16800 block of Outer Drive about 4:40 a.m. Nov. 2.
A 911 call was placed by Wafer alerted authorities to the incident.
“I just shot somebody on my front porch with a shotgun, banging on my door,” Wafer told the 911 operator.
Police and emergency crews responded to the house and discovered McBride’s lifeless body near the front porch.
Prior to the shooting, McBride was involved in a single-car cash about 1 a.m. six blocks away on Bramell Street in Detroit.
What occurred during the time between the crash and the shooting has not been released by the Police Department or the Prosecutor’s Office, though members of McBride’s family have said they believe she was walking around looking for help because her cell phone battery has died.
An autopsy report released by the Wayne County Medical Examiner’s Office concluded that McBride was killed by a shotgun wound to the face that was not delivered at a close range.
In that report, Assistant Medical Examiner Kilak Kesha ruled McBride’s death a homicide.
A toxicology report, also completed by the Medical Examiner’s Office, concluded that McBride had .218 percent alcohol in her system which is nearly three times the legal limit for driving of .08 in Michigan.
Kesha also concluded that there were traces of marijuana in McBride’s system.
(Bob Oliver can be reached at [email protected].)