Black Man Who Claimed Self-Defense In Killing White Teen Over Racial Slur Convicted

A Black man who fired shots at a truck full of teenagers in Statesboro, Georgia, killing a white teen girl, said he acted in self-defense after they yelled racial slurs at him. However, the jury rejected his claim and convicted him of manslaughter.

William Marcus Wilson, 23, was accused of fatally shooting Haley Hutcheson, 17, in June 2020. Wilson claimed that two of the teens in the truck Hutcheson was traveling in yelled racial slurs at him during the incident. Wilson said he opened fire at the truck after the teens attempted to run him and his white girlfriend, Emma Rigdon, off the road, the New York Daily News reported.

One of the bullets struck Hutcheson, and she died after she was rushed to a hospital. Wilson turned himself to the cops three days later, and the shell casings from the scene matched his handgun, police said.

"Me and my girlfriend were very scared that night. I didn't know what else to do, so I grabbed my, uh, my piece and I shot under the vehicle," Wilson said during a police interview that was played for the trial jury, according to 11Alive.

During the trial, Rigdon said she did not remember what exactly the teens shouted, but Wilson stood by his claim that the teens yelled racial slurs.

Although Wilson claimed self-defense by the "Stand your Ground" law in Georgia, the jury observed that Wilson's use of his legal weapon against the teens was not justified, Vice News reported.

Wilson also faced charges of felony murder and aggravated assault. However, the court acquitted him of those charges.

Several human rights organizations like Just Georgia Coalition were closely watching the case. "While the Just Georgia Coalition is relieved that Marc Wilson was acquitted of all charges except for involuntary manslaughter, we are disappointed that he has been convicted at all. We are holding the Wilson family in our thoughts and will continue to support them for the duration," James Woodall of the Southern Center for Human Rights, which is under the coalition, said following the conviction, as per the outlet.

The court has scheduled Wilson's sentencing for Sept. 20. He could face 10 years behind bars for the manslaughter charges.