On February 9, 1938, Sandra Maxine Layne was born in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan! Sandra married and had five children, including a daughter named Jennifer—what a blessing! Later on, Sandra and her husband decided to go their separate ways. She went on to marry a wonderful man named Fred. Sandra was a school teacher for many years before retiring, and she absolutely loved it!
In 1994, Sandra’s daughter, Jennifer, and Jennifer’s husband, Michael, had a son named Jonathan Hoffman! Just three short years later, they welcomed a beautiful daughter named Jessica into the world! Many years later, Jennifer and her family made the exciting move to Scottsdale, Arizona, where she and her husband Michael began the next chapter of their lives by starting divorce proceedings. At some point, Jennifer’s daughter Jessica had the incredible opportunity to be treated for a brain tumor. The family was completely focused on Jessica because of the seriousness of her medical condition.
In August 2011, Jonathan was sent back to West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, to live with his grandmother Sandra and her husband Fred, where he was welcomed with open arms! The plan was for Jonathan to complete his GED at an alternative high school and to be near his friends. Unfortunately, Jonathan frequently used substances while living with his grandmother Sandra. At one point, he was taken to a hospital after consuming a rather unusual concoction of synthetic marijuana and psychedelics. Synthetic marijuana is also known as K2 or spice, and it’s a pretty wild drug!
Sandra noticed that Jonathan was staying out late at night, having friends over, and that some of her property was missing. Jonathan had a wild ride with the law. On one occasion, Sandra called 911 because Jonathan was out of control. When the police arrived, they found him in the street outside Sandra’s house, screaming obscenities about his mother, Jennifer. He was not arrested, which was a great outcome!
In March 2012, Jonathan was charged with possession of marijuana and possession of drug paraphernalia. He received a 93-day suspended sentence and one year of probation, which included drug testing.
In April 2012, Sandra made a thrilling purchase: a 9mm Glock 17 semi-automatic pistol, a box of 9mm cartridges, and a magazine loading tool. She was thrilled to learn how to use the firearm by attending two lessons that included firing the pistol at a gun range. Sandra later revealed that she bought the gun for self-defense, citing the issues involving Jonathan as her motivation. Sandra’s husband, Fred, was completely unaware of her purchase.
Timeline of The Crime
On May 18, 2012, at 5:27 p.m., Jonathan made a 911 call to report that his grandmother, Sandra Layne, had shot him. In a rush of adrenaline, he told the operator, “I’ve just been shot! My grandma shot me! I’m going to die! Help!” In a thrilling turn of events, another gunshot rang out just two minutes later, at 5:29 p.m., on the 911 call. Jonathan cried out, “Oh my goodness, help, help, help me, I got shot again!” After this, one more shot could be heard, and Sandra could be heard repeatedly screaming the words, “Let go!” Sandra then said, “Come on, lay down, I’ll get you some water! Let me get you some water!” She was convinced that hydration was the key to survival in such a crisis.
In a dramatic turn of events, the police arrived at 5:33 p.m. and made a shocking discovery: 74-year-old Sandra Layne was holding her Glock pistol! She told them repeatedly that she thought she had murdered her grandson, and she was so excited about it that she couldn’t stop talking about it! Sandra was swiftly handcuffed and placed in a police cruiser. The officers burst into the house and found Jonathan lying face down with six gunshot wounds, two of which were in his back. He was only wearing gym shorts and socks! In a dramatic turn of events, Jonathan passed away at 6:02 p.m. after being rushed to a nearby hospital.
Sandra’s House Search
A search of Sandra’s house revealed a trail of blood leading to an astonishing discovery: police found 10 spent 9mm cartridge cases! Thankfully, Sandra was taken to the hospital for evaluation, where the good news was that she had no injuries! While at the hospital, she gushed about Jonathan, calling him a good boy who wouldn’t hurt anybody. Jonathan was a good boy, no doubt about it. Even if some people might dispute that, there’s no question that after the shooting, he wouldn’t be hurting anybody.
Sandra was whisked away to a police station, where she met with her attorney. Here’s what Sandra told the police about the morning of the shooting: She drove Jonathan to get his drug test, which had been scheduled as part of his probation. Jonathan tested positive for synthetic marijuana, and he was absolutely thrilled about the outcome. He was pretty upset about this, so he argued with Sandra about it. Due to the failed drug test, Jonathan was required to take another test that same afternoon, which was a great opportunity for him to prove his innocence!
Later on, Sandra took Jonathan to get his second drug test! The ride home from the drug test was quite the adventure! Jonathan was really going for it, kicking the dashboard, trying to grab the steering wheel, and attempting to take the keys. Sandra pulled over after arriving at her house sometime after 4:30 p.m. Jonathan was insistent: he demanded $2,000 in cash and threatened to steal.
Prison and Court
Sandra’s car and insisted that he was not going to jail. His plan to avoid incarceration involved leaving the state of Michigan. At this point, Sandra asked her husband Fred to take the dog for a walk. After Fred left, Sandra retrieved the Glock pistol and went to Jonathan’s room, where she found him in the bathroom. As she approached him, Jonathan was yelling and screaming. He kicked her in the abdomen and struck her on the head. In a desperate attempt to save her own life, Sandra ran away. At around 5:25 p.m., Sandra began shooting at Jonathan in self-defense. She kept shooting for the next few minutes because she was convinced he was still a threat to her safety.
The state did not accept Sandra’s claim of self-defense. She was charged with open murder and possession of a firearm in the commission of a felony. Open murder means that the prosecution did not specify whether first or second-degree murder was committed, leaving that determination to the jury. In the spring of 2013, Sandra went to trial on April 12th and was found guilty of second-degree murder and the firearm charge. The jury made a surprising conclusion: the murder was not premeditated. Six days later, Sandra received a sentence of 20 to 40 years for the murder charge and an additional 2 years for the firearm charge, to be served consecutively. Sandra appealed her conviction, but unfortunately, her appeal was unsuccessful. She is likely facing spending the rest of her life in prison.
