Jonathan Hoffman Remembered at Funeral: 'Unafraid of Being Himself'

SOUTHFIELD — Hundreds of friends and family packed the Ira Kaufman Chapel for the funeral service of 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman, three difficult days after in their West Bloomfield condominium.

Friends and classmates spoke late Tuesday morning in front of a filled chapel in Southfield, not of the circumstances of Hoffman's death, which sent shockwaves throughout the community, but of a senior who was coming into his own while remaining one of a kind.

"He was unafraid of being himself, even if it meant he was different from everyone else," Rabbi Joshua Bennett of Temple Israel said in eulogy. "He wasn't just a computer geek. He was a cool computer geek ... he found something to dream about."

Hoffman suffered eight gunshot wounds , a police detective said in dramatic testimony Monday. His  in his slaying. 

at Temple Israel to swap stories about Hoffman, interchangeably known as a road trip partner, video games teammate and a first best friend.

Farmington Hills Central senior Max Dashevsky said Tuesday that Hoffman had accepted a full-ride scholarship to Eastern Michigan University after dealing with academic issues that Bennett said led to his transfer from North Farmington. 

"I got to know him playing RuneScape in ninth grade ... as much of a nerd as he was, it rubbed off on me a lot," Dashevsky said Monday. "It was always a great thing about him, how he could do so much with so little.

"(Hoffman) was a genius ... like a little brother to me. No matter what you wanted to do, he was always down for it."

Farmington Central canceled classes Tuesday to allow students to attend Hoffman's funeral. 

Layne, a former schoolteacher and mother of five, is expected to appear in court Thursday for a preliminary hearing.