West Bloomfield Grandmother Who Killed Teen Grandson Loses Appeal
WEST BLOOMFIELD (WWJ/AP) - The Michigan appeals court has affirmed the murder conviction and sentence of an Oakland County woman who killed her 17-year-old grandson.
Sandra Layne said her rights were violated when a judge barred her from introducing certain comments made by Jonathan Hoffman. Layne claims the words were threatening and would have helped her claim of self-defense.
But the appeals court rejected that argument in an opinion released Wednesday.
Hoffman was shot six times, including twice in the back, at Layne's home in West Bloomfield Township. Layne, now 76, was convicted of second-degree murder in 2013 and sentenced to 22 years in prison.
Hoffman was living with his grandparents so he could complete his last year of high school. He had a history of drug use and had tested positive for so-called synthetic marijuana on the day of the shooting.
Layne claimed her grandson feared flunking probation and demanded money and a car to leave the area. She said shot him out of fear during a physical altercation.
Prosecutors said there were no signs of Layne being injured by Hoffman. A recording of a 911 call shows him being shot again while pleading for help – a critical piece of evidence that jurors played over and over during deliberations.
Layne said she bought a gun in April 2012 because she feared that her grandson's friends were dangerous and might steal her valuables. She told jurors she was "desperate and didn't know what to do." She practiced shooting at a range weeks before she killed her grandson.
Layne repeatedly blamed Hoffman's parents for not taking him back to Arizona and said her grandson's drug use made him unmanageable for an elderly woman.
During the trial, Layne's defense attorney Jerry Sabotta was asked about a possible connection between Hoffman and Tucker Cipriano, who was convicted in baseball beating death of his father in Farmington Hills. Sabotta said the two young men were acquainted.
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