Michigan Supreme Court looking at porch shooting case
DEARBORN HEIGHTS, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court is looking at the case of a man who fatally shot an unarmed woman on his porch in suburban Detroit in 2013.
The court is focusing on jury instructions in Theodore Wafer’s highly publicized trial.
Wafer shot 19-year-old Renisha McBride through a screen door in Dearborn Heights. He said he was afraid after being awakened by pounding, but jurors convicted him of second-degree murder.
Wafer wanted a jury instruction that said he feared harm because McBride was trying to break into his house. But Judge Dana Hathaway said the evidence didn’t support it. McBride was drunk and had crashed her car that night.
In an order released Wednesday, the Supreme Court said it will hear arguments about whether the lack of that jury instruction violated Wafer’s rights.
State’s top court to determine whether juries sentence teens
PORT HURON, Mich. (AP) — The Michigan Supreme Court says it will settle whether juries — not judges — have the sole power to decide whether someone under 18 gets life in prison without parole.
In an order released Wednesday, the court will take the case of Tia Skinner, who was a 17-year-old honors student in St. Clair County when she plotted to have her father killed in 2010.
Skinner is serving a no-parole sentence.
Lawyers representing teens convicted of murder have argued that Michigan juries needed to make a specific determination that someone had no hope of being rehabilitated and deserved a no-parole sentence.
There have been conflicting opinions on that point at the state appeals court. The court in 2016 created a special panel, which said the sentencing duty rests with trial judges.
High School Mock Trial seeking volunteer attorneys and judges
The Michigan Center for Civic Education and the hundreds of high school students statewide who participate in High School Mock Trial need your help. Volunteer attorneys, judges, legal assistants and law students are needed to serve as judges and court officers in the 2017 events.
Competition dates are:
• Feb. 25: Kent County Regional Tournament (Grand Rapids)
• March 4: Macomb County Regional Tournament (Mt. Clemens)
• March 11: Oakland County Regional Tournament (Pontiac)
• March 18: Washtenaw County Regional Tournament (Ann Arbor)
• March 25: State Finals (Lansing. Experienced judges only, please)
This year’s Mock Trail case is a civil matter in which the plaintiff alleges excessive force during an arrest. The defendant police officer and police department claim the force utilized during the arrest was justified and that their policies and practices are reasonable.
Volunteers may register here: http://www.micivic ed.org/mock-trial/mhsmtt-volunteer-registration
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