Grandmother to Stand Trial in Shooting Death of Grandson

PONTIAC — The grandmother charged with shooting her grandson to death last May in the West Bloomfield condominium they shared on Brookview Lane is expected to go to trial early next year, after a judge's ruling Thursday.

Oakland County Circuit Court Judge Denise Langford Morris set a tentative trial date of March 4 for Sandra Maxine Layne, 74, who remains in jail on an open charge of murder and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. If convicted, she faces life in prison.

Meanwhile, defense attorney Jerome Sabbota said that forensic lab reports including ballistics analysis, blood spatter, and DNA testing will be completed from the condo in Maple Place Villas, where medical examiners have testified that Jonathan Hoffman, 17, was shot five times May 18.

Police say that Layne gave herself up to police at her front door, where officers later found a handgun with blood on it. Layne herself was found with blood on her hands and clothing.

According to testimony, Layne was hysterical, screaming that she had just shot and killed her grandson, even after being placed in a police car.

Sabbota said that on the day of the incident, Layne had been at odds with her grandson, a student at Farmington Central High School who lived away from his parents in Arizona. 

Layne will be back in court Feb. 28 for a pretrial hearing.

Read more:

• Grandmother of Slain West Bloomfield Teen Stands Mute
• UPDATE: Grandmother Charged with Murder in Grandson's Shooting