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A Georgia man who said he was defending himself against a racist attack has been given the maximum prison sentence in the fatal shooting of a white teenage girl, per the Statesboro Herald.
On Tuesday (September 20), William “Marc” Wilson, 23, was sentenced to 10 years in prison for the death of Haley Hutcheson, a 17-year-old girl he allegedly shot and killed.
The incident unfolded on June 14, 2020, when Wilson, who is Black, was driving with his then-girlfriend Emma Rigdon, according to authorities.
Wilson claimed that another vehicle holding a group of white teens attempted to run his car off the road.
He alleged that the teens shouted racial slurs, threw objects, and followed him and his girlfriend for miles, which prompted him to open fire at their vehicle with his “legally possessed handgun" in an act of self-defense.
One of the shots hit Hutcheson in the head, and she was pronounced dead shortly after.
Wilson was found guilty of involuntary manslaughter, which holds a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.
His attorneys defended his actions with self-defense and "stand your ground" arguments.
“I fully believe Marc saved my life that night,” Rigdon said during her testimony. “I wholly believe if Marc was not there that night and wouldn’t have done what he did, we would have both been dead…Marc is not the reason Haley’s not here.”
According to the Statesboro Herald, Wilson's legal team plans to appeal the sentence.
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