Man to Stand Trial For Shooting Girl on Front Step

A judge today bound Theodore Wafer over for trial on second-degree murder and manslaughter charges for killing an unarmed teenager. The ruling came after a two-day hearing to determine whether there was sufficient evidence to charge Wafer, the Detroit News explains. The 54-year-old Michigan man doesn't deny that he shot 19-year-old Renisha McBride in the face when she came to his door for help after a car accident, but his attorneys argued that there was no evidence he'd intended to kill her.

Judge David Turfe disagreed. "He could have not answered the door," he said. "He had other options." He also pointed out that testimony from neighbors indicated that McBride wasn't combative. "She couldn't find her phone. She was patting her pockets. … She just kept saying she wanted to get home," one witness said, according to the AP. Prosecutors also pointed out that Wafer had to take his shotgun out of its case, load it, and rack it, before answering the door, the Detroit Free Press reports.