A Michigan man accused of gunning down an unarmed young woman on his front porch in November was convicted Thursday of second-degree murder , manslaughter and possessing a firearm while committing a felony . Theodore Wafer , 55 , faces a possible life prison term when sentenced on August 21 . The jury deliberated for a little less than nine hours . Wafer said he feared for his life when loud banging startled him awake in the early morning hours of November 2 , 2013 . He opened his front door and fired a fatal shotgun blast into the face of Renisha McBride , 19 , who prosecutors say was seeking help after a car accident . On Thursday , a judge ordered Wafer remanded to jail though the defense asked for house arrest . After the verdict , McBride 's parents issued a statement thanking jurors . They said they were not surprised by the verdict . `` She was a regular teenager , '' said her mother , Monica McBride . `` She was well raised and brought up with a loving family , and her life mattered . And we showed that . '' Wafer took the stand Monday to describe feeling the floor vibrate under his feet from the violent pounding on his front and kitchen doors . He said he could n't find his cell phone to call 911 , but retrieved his Mossberg 12-gauge shotgun from a closet and opened the front door at a quiet moment . `` I was not going to cower . I did n't want to be a victim in my own house , '' he said . `` I drew first , that 's how I see it . '' McBride had a blood-alcohol level more than two times the legal limit at the time of her death and had smoked marijuana earlier in the evening , according to testimony . Witnesses said she crashed her vehicle into a parked car in Dearborn Heights , Michigan , just before 1 a.m. and wandered off disoriented and bloodied . Some three hours later , she lay dead on Wafer 's porch . The incident sparked protest and was likened by some to the shooting of unarmed Florida teen Trayvon Martin in 2012 . McBride , 5-feet-4-inches tall , was African-American . Wafer , who is white and stands at over 6 feet , was criminally charged more than two weeks after the incident . Wayne County Prosecutor Kym Worthy said then that race was not a factor in her office 's decision-making on the case . In her closing argument earlier this week , defense attorney Cheryl Carpenter was the first to bring the issue of race before the jury . `` It is not a race issue . And I 'm going to say that word , because nobody has mentioned it . It is n't . Ted did n't know who this was , '' she said . `` This man is the furthest thing from a racist , '' said Carpenter . While Wafer said at trial that he acted in self-defense when he shot McBride , he also said the shooting was accidental . Jurors saw a videotaped police interview with Wafer done only hours after the incident , where he told investigators he had forgotten the Mossberg 12-gauge was even loaded and meant only to scare off would-be intruders . Facing off with prosecutor Athina Siringas during a two-hour cross examination , Wafer said he must have disengaged the safety inadvertently and that his finger hit the trigger as a `` total reflex reaction '' when a figure suddenly appeared from the side as he stood in the doorway . `` You either shot on purpose because you were in fear , or the gun went off accidentally . Which one is it ? '' asked Siringas . `` I shot in fear , '' Wafer replied . `` So that means you shot on purpose ? '' `` Yes . '' Siringas ' co-counsel , Patrick Muscat , suggested in his closing argument that Wafer invented the self-defense scenario to hedge his bets , because he 'd realized an accidental killing could still get him convicted of murder in the second degree . A claim of self defense allows jurors to find a defendant not guilty if they find he acted in the `` honest and reasonable '' belief he was in danger of being killed or seriously injured , according to Michigan law . After the incident , Wafer told police he was angry and `` full of piss and vinegar '' when he opened the door that night , Muscat told the jury . Man who shot unarmed Michigan teen takes the stand . Blood alcohol level of slain Detroit woman more than twice the legal limit . Detroit woman 's autopsy leaves questions .
Theodore Smith , 55 , is convicted of second - degree murder and manslaughter . He fired a fatal shotgun blast into the house of Renisha Smith , 45 , . Prosecutors say she was seeking help after a car accident . Wafer said he thought someone was breaking in : ` ` I was n't going to be a victim in my own house ''