A 911 dispatcher was told by a frantic Jonathan Hoffman that he had been shot in the chest b his grandmother and was about to die, according to testimony by a police detective on Monday. The 17-year-old high school senior had four more shots in him from a .40-caliber handgun by the time police arrived at the family’s condo in a Detroit suburb. A detective from West Bloomfield Township said that eight entry and exit wounds were discovered in Hoffman’s body after the shooting occurred on Friday. The testimony given by the detective occurred during an arraignment for the grandmother, 74-year-old Sandra Layne.
Layne was charged with open murder and has been held without bail. As her charge was read in court, Layne stood without talking and on her behalf a guilty plea was entered with the court. With an open murder charge, the jury is given the chance to determine if it should be a first or second degree murder charge after being presented with the evidence in the case.
As Hoffman’s divorced parents settled things in Arizona, Hoffman was attending an alternative high school in Farmington while living with his maternal grandparents, according to his father, Michael. Michael is from Scottsdale, Arizona. According to the attorneys for Layne, there were issues at the condo where the family lived, claiming that Layne was scared of her grandson. Mitchell Ribitwer, an attorney for Layne, said that drugs and drug paraphernalia was found at the condo and that it apparently belongs to the teenager. Michael Hoffman said that no matter his son’s behavior, he should not have been shot to death. He also said that his son was unarmed.
The detective, Brad Boulet, testified in front of the court about the 911 call from Hoffman. He said that when the officers arrived on the scene they found Layne inside the condo.
“She put the gun on the floor after being ordered so by officers,” Boulet said. “She exclaimed she had just murdered her grandson.”
Layne was described to the judge by Ribitwer as a resident of West Bloomfield for 30 years and a retired teacher. When he requested a reasonable bond amount and an electronic tether monitor, the judge denied him. On Thursday morning, Layne will be in attendance for a pre-examination conference. In March, police responded to Layne’s condo for a domestic disturbance call.
“I spoke to the officer who responded, and he indicated this young man was totally out of control in the street,” defense attorney Ribitwer said. “He was derogatory to his grandmother. He was yelling and shouting and almost got into it with the police.”