PONTIAC, Mich. - A West Bloomfield, Mich., grandmother will spend 20 to 40 years in prison for shooting her grandson to death, the equivalent of a life sentence for the 75-year-old retired teacher.
Sandra Layne, shackled in orange jail garb and surrounded by deputies, was sentenced Thursday in Oakland County Circuit Court here.
It brings to a close a case that garnered national attention and tore apart a family already teetering on the edge.
In handing down the sentence, Judge Denise Langford Morris called it a tragic case. She said a lot of unanswered questions remain, but what troubled her was why Layne didn't call police first that day or leave and why she kept shooting 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman.
"There are a lot of questions in this case," Langford Morris said. "Grandmothers are supposed to be protected. And grandmothers are supposed to protect."
Layne, who had no prior criminal record, was convicted March 19 of second-degree murder in the case.
As Layne sat trembling, the judge continued, "Why did you keep shooting him, and how did you keep shooting him? You didn't have to keep shooting him."
Layne quietly told the court Thursday that she loved her grandson. She talked of how Hoffman changed when he started using drugs and said his parents wouldn't come help her despite her pleas.
"If I could go back, I never would have let him come here. I would have said to his parents, 'He's your responsibility," she said crying. "I don't want to die in jail or prison. Oh, God. Oh, God, I don't know what to say. I'm so sorry."
Layne said she feels pain every day for what happened.
"I love Jon," she said. "I love him to this very moment."
Layne's daughter and Jonathan Hoffman's mother, Jennifer Hoffman, spoke minutes earlier about the special bond she had with her son and asked the court for a harsh sentence.
Breaking down at times, Jennifer Hoffman talked of the milestones in her son's life that she will never see, such as high school graduation and him having his own children. She said she now must mark his birthdays at his grave.
She also noted the terror her son must have felt as he was dying, killed by a person he had loved.
A prosecutor read a statement from Jonathan Hoffman's father, Michael Hoffman. The father said in the statement that his family is profoundly hurt, and he talked of listening to a horrific 911 recording in which Layne shot his son again.
"He was a gentle and loving soul," Michael Hoffman said, also asking for harsh punishment. "I miss my son every day."
Layne shot Jonathan Hoffman six times during the course of several minutes on the afternoon of May 18, tracking him upstairs and downstairs in her upscale condominium.
Layne's defense lawyer, Jerome Sabbota, argued that Layne acted in self-defense that day after her grandson attacked her. He told the court Layne doesn't deserve to be in prison for the rest of her life.
Langord Morris's sentence exceeded the recommended guidelines of 12 to 20 years. After the sentencing was announced, Layne turned to look at her daughter, Jennifer Hoffman, who grinned widely and gave her the thumbs up.
Outside the courtroom, Jennifer Hoffman, smiling into a hoard of reporters and cameras said, "Everything she said in her statement was a lie. She is a complete narcissist and a liar. I wish I had seen signs of how evil she was before I left her with my son."
The 17-year-old had been living with Layne and her 87-year-old husband, Fred, since August 2011 because his divorced parents had moved to Arizona. Jonathan Hoffman had wanted to finish high school in Michigan. His younger sister, Jessica, was undergoing treatment in Arizona for a brain tumor.
Fred Layne was in court Thursday for the sentencing, surrounded by supporters, and appeared to break down as his wife spoke.
Trouble started by early 2012 when Jonathan Hoffman began using drugs. He was hospitalized in March after ingesting hallucinogenic mushrooms. Police searched his car at the time and discovered more drugs, records show. He was charged with drug possession in that case and another in early April after police found more drugs in is car.
According to testimony during Layne's two-week trial, Jonathan Hoffman was growing more violent in the months leading up to his death, smashing computer screens and kicking in doors. Weeks before he was killed, Layne called 911 to report that her grandson was out of control. Police arrived to calm the situation.
On April 18, 2012, Layne sought a permit to carry a handgun, and bought a 9 mm Glock on April 27.
On the morning of May 18, Jonathan Hoffman underwent a court-ordered drug screening and tested positive for Spice, a synthetic marijuana. He then yelled at his grandmother that he refused to go to jail over the drug charge.
During the trial, prosecutors presented a 911 call the 17-year-old made, telling the operator that his grandmother had shot him.
"I'm going to die," he said, followed by the sound of gunfire as Layne shot him again.
Read the original story: Grandma, 75, gets 20 to 40 years for killing grandson