Judge orders woman tried in grandson's gun death

Judge orders woman tried in grandson's gun death

2012-07-02 by usatoday
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (AP) – A 74-year-old Michigan woman accused of shooting her teenage grandson at their suburban Detroit home will stand trial on murder and firearms charges, a judge ruled Monday after a police officer testified the woman emerged from the home screaming, "I murdered my grandson."
Sandra Layne is accused of repeatedly shooting 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman on May 18 at the West Bloomfield Township condo that she and her husband shared with the boy. Her attorneys say she acted in self-defense. If convicted, she could face up to life in prison.
During Monday's hearing, prosecutors played a tape of Jonathan's call to 911.
"I've just been shot," he tells the emergency operator. "My grandma shot me. I'm going to die. Help."
The operator tries to keep the boy on the line and, a few minutes later, Jonathan began speaking
again.
"I got shot, shot again. Please help. Help," he said, as a woman's shouts are heard in the background.
Arriving officers heard three shots inside the home and yelled for anyone inside to come out, Officer Derrick Kassab testified.
Kassab said Layne emerged from the condo with her hands raised and screaming, "I murdered my grandson." He said Layne was hysterical and kept asking officers how her grandson was doing.
Inside, police found blood on the floors and walls, and Hoffman lying on the floor on the second floor, Sgt. Joseph Spencer testified.
A deputy medical exam testified that Hoffman was shot five times. The teen also had traces of synthetic marijuana in his urine, tests showed.
After the hearing, defense lawyer Jerome Sabbota said Layne was acting in self-defense.
"If you listen closely to the 911 tape, he's grabbing onto her and he's holding her. He's not letting her go," her lawyer said.
Jonathan was attending an alternative school and had previous brushes with the law, Sabbota said.
"This was a child who was dumped on her," the lawyer said. "She killed a person she loved who she was trying to save."