On Wednesday, a Detroit-area man who fatally shot a 19-year-old female on his front porch last year, was sentenced to a minimum of 17 years in prison.
CNN reported that while begging the court for mercy, Theodore Wafer apologized to the victim’s loved ones.
"To the parents, family and friends of Renisha McBride, I apologize from the bottom of my heart and I am truly sorry for your loss," Wafer said. "I can only hope and pray that somehow you can forgive me. ... From my fear, I caused the loss of a life that was too young to leave this world and for that I carry that guilt and sorrow forever."
The New York Times noted that in the early morning hours of Nov. 2, McBride banged on Wafer’s door several times after she was in a car accident. The airport maintenance man was startled awake and headed to his front door with a shotgun.
He claimed that he thought someone was going to come inside his home and fired in self-defense. Prosecutors, however, accused him of being angry and confrontational and said that he wanted to scare away neighborhood children which is why he fired a shot through the lock door.
The unarmed McBride died from the gunshot wound.
Wafer’s attorney Cheryl Carpenter said they will appeal the ruling.