PONTIAC, Mich. – Jurors are returning to court for closing arguments in the murder trial of a 75-year-old Detroit-area woman who fatally shot her teen grandson.
Sandra Layne says she shot 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman in self-defense after he demanded $2,000 and her car to leave the state. But prosecutors say it was premeditated murder. The boy was shot six times last May at Layne's West Bloomfield Township home.
Layne's attorney is asking the judge to add involuntary manslaughter as an option for jurors Monday. She faces life in prison without parole if convicted of first-degree murder.
Layne sobbed while testifying last week. She says she bought a gun to protect herself because her grandson brought strangers to the home late at night. Hoffman had a history of drug use.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
