74-year-old Sandra Layne in court on July 2, 2012. (Credit: WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com)
BLOOMFIELD TOWNSHIP, Mich. (WJBK) -
Sandra Layne is a former schoolteacher, mother of five, grandmother of nine and at 74 years of age, an accused killer. We are learning more about what happened that day she allegedly pulled the trigger ending her grandson's life.
"I had told her to keep her hands up. As she was walking out of the house with her hands up, she had advised me and screamed to me that 'I murdered my grandson,'" said West Bloomfield Officer Derrick Kassab.
He testified in 48th District Court that Layne admitted to police she murdered her teenage grandson, Jonathan Hoffman. It was May 18, 5:27 in the evening, officers were called to Layne's upscale condo on Brookview Lane when a neighbor heard gunshots.
Officers arrived to the sound of more gunfire from inside the home. At the same time, Hoffman was on the phone with 911.
(Watch Ronnie Dahl's video report to hear a portion of that call. We must warn you -- it is very disturbing.)
During Layne's preliminary hearing, officers described a bloody scene inside -- bloody footprints in the master bedroom, blood in the kitchen, the laundry room and the upstairs loft where Hoffman was found.
It was determined ten shots were fired from Layne's gun, a Glock she recently purchased. Half of the bullets hit Hoffman at close range. The 17-year-old was shot three times in the chest, once in the arm and once in the stomach.
Layne's attorney says Hoffman's drug use set off the argument that led to the deadly shooting.
Dr. Reuben Ortiz Reyes testified Hoffman tested positive for K2 in his urine, but not his bloodstream, so he wasn't under the influence of drugs at the time.
"He tested positive for spice. It was a violation with his probation. He was concerned about going to jail and he wanted to do certain things, and that's when the argument erupted," said Jerome Sabbota, Layne's attorney. "She was fearful. She killed a person that she loved, that she tried to save. There are no winners. No matter what we do to her, it doesn't really matter. Watch her. She's in her own hell."
Layne's attorney described Hoffman as a troubled teen, a punk, that got in and out of trouble.
Hoffman's parents live in Arizona and were not in court on Monday. Meanwhile, the case has been bound over to circuit court and Layne remains behind bars.
Saturday, February 23 2013 11:33 PM EST2013-02-24 04:33:03 GMT
An AK-47, three other long guns and two handguns are now off the streets of Detroit. The weapons were confiscated by Wayne County Sherrif's deputies during a raid at a suspected drug house.
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Michigan's road to recovery could take a big hit if congress allows $85 million in cuts to the defense department. Tens of thousands of jobs could be at risk in our state, especially in Macomb County.n.
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Monday, February 18 2013 6:38 PM EST2013-02-18 23:38:52 GMT
A mother is pained beyond words. Her three-year-old daughter was killed in a crash Sunday on Detroit's west side less than a block from her house. The chaotic scene was visible from her front door.
A mother is pained beyond words. Her three-year-old daughter was killed in a crash Sunday on Detroit's west side less than a block from her house. The chaotic scene was visible from her front door.
Sunday, February 17 2013 11:16 PM EST2013-02-18 04:16:14 GMT
Thick smoke and orange flames could be seen shooting out of a long-abandoned home on Detroit's northwest side late Sunday. Detroit fire fighters worked in the freezing cold temperatures to contain the
A Detroit woman finds her house damaged after a suspected arsonist sets the vacant home next door on fire.
Saturday, February 16 2013 8:15 PM EST2013-02-17 01:15:29 GMT
One person is dead, several others are injured after a day filled with chain reaction crashes on Metro Detroit freeways. The deadly crash took place on I-96 westbound at Wixom Road.
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Friday, May 17 2013 11:55 PM EDT2013-05-18 03:55:04 GMT
"We intend to build cars in North America for [the] North American market, build cars in Europe for the European market and build them in Asia for the Asian market," said Don Graunstadt.
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Friday, May 17 2013 10:19 PM EDT2013-05-18 02:19:58 GMT
It can creep up on you without you realizing it. One day you step on the scale and you're obese. That's what happened to a St. Clair Shores woman who never though she would lose the weight.
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Friday, May 17 2013 8:43 PM EDT2013-05-18 00:43:34 GMT
Sabrina Gianino was found dead with a cord around her neck inside a Grosse Pointe Park home early Thursday morning. The medical examiner has ruled her death a homicide.
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Friday, May 17 2013 7:48 PM EDT2013-05-17 23:48:59 GMT
A Molotov cocktail was thrown through a kitchen window of a waterfront mansion on Whittier Street in Grosse Pointe Park around 3:20 a.m. Friday. Fortunately, someone inside put it out.
A Molotov cocktail was thrown through a kitchen window of a waterfront mansion on Whittier Street in Grosse Pointe Park around 3:20 a.m. Friday. Fortunately, someone inside put it out.
Friday, May 17 2013 6:26 PM EDT2013-05-17 22:26:25 GMT
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan urged Detroit's pastors and majority black population Friday to join him in an effort to buy neglected properties and take other steps to help revitalize the struggling city.
Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan urged Detroit's pastors and majority black population Friday to join him in an effort to buy neglected properties and take other steps to help revitalize the struggling city where the movement started more than 80 years ago.
74-year-old Sandra Layne in court on July 2, 2012. (Credit: WJBK | myFOXDetroit.com)
