PEMBROKE PINES, Fla., Oct. 24 (UPI) -- A Florida man accused of manslaughter in the shooting death of a federal agent is hoping to avoid trial by arguing self-defense.
James Patrick Wonder, 68, of Miramar and his attorneys are preparing for a Stand Your Ground hearing, which will give the man a chance to convince a judge that he killed U.S. Customs and Border Protection Agent Donald Pettit on Aug. 5, 2008, in self-defense, the South Florida Sun Sentinel reported.
Florida's Stand Your Ground Law is intended to block the prosecution of people who resort to force to protect themselves from harm.
An appeals court applied the law to Wonder's case in September.
Instead of facing a jury that would hear prosecutors try to prove Wonder is guilty, Wonder will face a judge and try to prove that most of the evidence in his case supports a Stand Your Ground argument.
Prosecutors say Wonders killed Pettit in Pembroke Pines, Fla., after a road-rage incident.
Pettit, who was off duty at the time, followed Wonder into a post office parking lot and yelled at him before Wonder allegedly shot the man.
Wonder, who fled the scene, said he has an anger problem and had almost been killed in a road-rage incident.
Wonder was apprehended the day after the shooting. If convicted of manslaughter, he faces up to 15 years in prison.
Further details of the incident have not been released.
The self-defense immunity hearing is scheduled for Jan. 17.
"It's too soon to judge the entire impact of the law until it's been applied over several years," said State Attorney's Office spokesman Ron Ishoy. "As of now, it's just another mixed question of law and fact that has to be decided."
