Grandmother of Slain West Bloomfield Teen Due in Court

Sandra Layne, 74, a former schoolteacher, has a preliminary exam scheduled at in front of Judge Kimberly Small Thursday at 8:30 a.m.

During her arraignment on open murder and felony firearms charges Monday,  amid testimony from  detectives that said she admitted killing her 17-year-old grandson, Jonathan Hoffman, on May 18. Hoffman, a senior at Farmington Central alternative high school, was shot multiple times in the condominium he shared with Layne and her husband in the Maple Place Villas complex, on the 6000 block of Brookview Lane. 

If bound over Thursday, a circuit court judge will later determine whether she should face first-or second-degree murder at trial. If convicted, the mother of five could be sentenced to life in prison.

Dramatic testimony from Detective Brad Boulet described Hoffman's plea for help to a 911 operator after being shot in the chest, as well as Layne's response to police.

"The subject stated that his grandma had just shot him in the chest and that he was going to die and he pleaded for help," Boulet testified in front of Judge Marc Barron. "At approximately the three-minute mark of the 911 call, the subject screamed and exclaimed he had just been shot again."

Boulet continued that as officers arrived, they heard several more gunshots before Layne came out and exclaimed that she had ""

Lt. Tim Diamond said that police had responded to the address on the 6000 block of Brookview Lane in a "typical parent/child verbal" confrontation in March. 

Attorney Jerry Sabbota elaborated that Layne purchased a handgun, a .40-caliber Glock semi-automatic, after the incident, in which Hoffman was "out of control."

Court records show that at 10:38 p.m. March 17, Hoffman was stopped by Farmington Hills police at Bonnet Hill near Aranel in a 2007 Chevrolet Trailblazer and ticketed for possession of marijuana and of drug paraphernalia — a marijuana grinder after the items were found in his vehicle.

Hoffman pleaded guilty to the marijuana charge and the paraphernalia charge was dropped. His sentence included $790 in fines and court costs, and probation for one year — including 30 hours of community service, no alcohol or drug use and random drug tests.