by Thandisizwe Chimurenga
The prosecution began its opening statement in the trial of Ted Wafer this morning by showing two photographs of 19-year old Renisha McBride.
“This is Renisha McBride prior to Nov. 1 2013,” said Wayne County Assistant District Attorney Deborah Hageman-Clark.
“And this is Renisha McBride the morning of Nov. 2, 2013,” she stated, showing McBride laying prone with her feet at Wafer’s door and her upper body on the grass where it appears she had fallen backwards. McBride’s head wound was also visible.
“This trial will tell you how Renisha McBride ended up on Ted Wafer’s porch in this photo,” said the prosecutor.
It was a graphic opening to the trial of the 55-year old airport maintenance worker, charged with 2nd-degree murder and manslaughter in the death of McBride.
The prosecution continued its brief opening statement in a matter-of-fact manner, listing the witnessesit would be calling and what they would be testifying to. Hageman-Clark contended that McBride had not tried to break into and enter Wafer’s home and that there was no evidence to prove otherwise; that McBride had been shot through a locked screen door; that Wafer’s gun could not have been fired accidentally, and that Wafer had other options he could have utilized instead of resorting to use of a shotgun. She asked that in the end the jury find Wafer guilty.
Cheryl Carpenter, representing Wafer with her father Mack as co-counsel, painted a picture of Wafer being awakened by loud banging on the side and front of his home from possibly more than one person. According to the defense, Wafer does not have a landline and could not find his cell phone to call 911 initially. Carpenter described Wafer during her hour-long opening statement as going to his front door and looking out his peep hole and seeing a “shadowy figure.”
“His heart is coming out of his chest,” Carpenter said. “He was afraid for his life.”
Jurors were shown both the insert and the metal screen door that were on Wafer’s front door the morning of Nov. 2. In addition to the hole produced by the shotgun blast Carpenter also pointed out what she said was damage to the door allegedly committed by McBride. Wafer made the decision to get his shotgun after hearing the sound of metal breaking on his screen door, she said.
Carpenter described her client as opening his front door and being startled by McBride which led to the fatal shot.
“I just shot somebody on my front porch with a shotgun, banging on my door,” Wafer said when he called 911.
Monica McBride, mother of Renisha; Amber Jenkins, best friend of Renisha; Carmen Beasley, owner of the vehicle that Renisha crashed into; and Corp. Ruben Gonzales of the City of Dearborn Police Deparment, also testified.
Wafer could face a maximum of life in prison for the 2nd degree murder charge, 15 years for manslaughter, and possibly two years for the felony gun charge.
The trial is expected to last 10 days.
follow @idabeewells for up-to-the-minute trial coverage.
Cop City is the culmination of years of "Atlanta Way" neo-liberalism intended to advantage corporate interests and affluent white people. Black people have been pushed out and those that remain live…
The catastrophe for the Palestinian people began 75 years ago and their struggle against the apartheid state continues.
The United States deploys naval warships and drones after creating the conditions for destabilization in Sudan. AFRICOM's presence is expanding under the guise of protecting US nationals.
Anthony Blinken has refused to hand over cables in which US embassy officials warned of an imminent Taliban victory weeks before Washington's botched withdrawal.
Protest in France, gentrification in Philadelphia, and school safety and achievement.
