Woman held in Grandson's Shooting, says she was 'afraid'

**Meddle** · May-22-12, 09:13 AM

For three minutes, 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman pleaded for help. He told a 911 dispatcher he'd been shot in the chest by his grandmother and was about to die.

Then, he screamed out, saying he'd been shot again.

As officers arrived at the West Bloomfield condo Friday, they heard several more gunshots, Detective Brad Boulet testified Monday in 48th District Court in Bloomfield Township.

Hoffman's grandmother, 74-year-old Sandra Layne, came to the front door with a .40-caliber Glock handgun in her right hand.

"While walking toward the officers, Ms. Layne exclaimed that she had just murdered her grandson," Boulet said.

Her lawyer, Mitch Ribitwer, said she worked as a schoolteacher in California before moving to West Bloomfield 30 years ago. He said she has been married for 28 years.

Ribitwer declined to comment when asked what led to the shooting. Ribitwer's law partner, Jerome Sabbota, said Saturday that Layne fired the gun because "she was afraid."

"She's never been in trouble before," Ribitwer said outside the courtroom. "[[She's) very distraught, very upset. It's a very difficult time."

Aside from her initial exclamations outside her home Friday, Layne has not talked to investigators about the death of her grandson, West Bloomfield Police Lt. Tim Diamond said Monday. She did not explain to investigators what made her afraid, Diamond said.

http://www.freep.com/article/2012052...text|FRONTPAGE

Buy American · May-22-12, 09:50 AM

I absolutely feel sorry for her. More than likely she does not want to put her grandson in a bad light, therefore she isn't talking about why she was afraid of him. No grandmother would ever consider doing something that horrible unless the child was threatening to harm her and that was the only alternative; I don't think she is crazy or has dementia. I would like to hear the grandfathers take on this.

Drugs do terrible things to young people and their need for money goes beyond reason. For her to go out and purchase a gun a few weeks ago, shows her desperation. Obviously she was not getting any help from the parents of the young man....they probably washed their hands of him long ago.

There is much more to this story and hopefully she will begin to tell it.

**jt1** · May-22-12, 09:54 AM

Originally Posted by Buy American

I absolutely feel sorry for her. More than likely she does not want to put her grandson in a bad light, therefore she isn't talking about why she was afraid of him. No grandmother would ever consider doing something that horrible unless the child was threatening to harm her and that was the only alternative; I don't think she is crazy or has dementia. I would like to hear the grandfathers take on this.

Drugs do terrible things to young people and their need for money goes beyond reason. For her to go out and purchase a gun a few weeks ago, shows her desperation. Obviously she was not getting any help from the parents of the young man....they probably washed their hands of him long ago.

There is much more to this story and hopefully she will begin to tell it.

Please be consistent. It is clear that she is an animal.

**brizee** · May-22-12, 09:58 AM

Originally Posted by jt1

Please be consistent. It is clear that she is an animal.

Come on. You know the animal label only comes out for certain segments of the population.

Lock this demon up.

She pumped four more bullets into him while he was on the phone with 911.

She can spend the rest of her days in a prison or mental institutioin. I don't care which.

**jcole** · May-22-12, 10:00 AM

There was absolutely no need for her to pump 10 bullets from a semi auto into her grandson. Especially considering that he was on the phone with at least one bullet in his chest telling 911 that his grandma had shot him when she fired several more and then several more as the police were arriving. How could he possibly be 'threatening' to her at that point?
This woman is either crazy, evil or senile.

**Johnnny5** · May-22-12, 10:33 AM

To me there's just not enough information being made public to determine what happened and why. Perhaps the kid was a serious threat or maybe the woman just completely fell off her rocker. The idea that she's some kind of animal that has managed to suppress such violent capacities for all those years does not seem very likely.

**SWMAP** · May-22-12, 11:04 AM

Its telling, though, that there is an altercation in March during which the grandson is screaming uncontrollably in the street and the police are called. Then in April, the Ciprianos are beaten and murdered by their own son - a kid who attended the same Farmington alternative school [[it appears) as the Hoffman kid and then the Grandmother goes out and buys a gun and then in May this happens. Perhaps the similarities to the Cipriano situation made her afraid.

**iheartthed** · May-22-12, 11:10 AM

Originally Posted by Buy American

I absolutely feel sorry for her. More than likely she does not want to put her grandson in a bad light, therefore she isn't talking about why she was afraid of him. No grandmother would ever consider doing something that horrible unless the child was threatening to harm her and that was the only alternative; I don't think she is crazy or has dementia. I would like to hear the grandfathers take on this.

Drugs do terrible things to young people and their need for money goes beyond reason. For her to go out and purchase a gun a few weeks ago, shows her desperation. Obviously she was not getting any help from the parents of the young man....they probably washed their hands of him long ago.

There is much more to this story and hopefully she will begin to tell it.

What a bleeding heart liberal you are. West Bloomfield obviously needs a STRESS unit.

**Blueidone** · May-22-12, 11:12 AM

If one is that afraid, there are other avenues to solve the situation. If he had threatened her recently, why not call the police again? Why not call the parents to come back and help? There had to be another way besides shooting him, unless he was standing with a weapon in front of her.

I understand the fear following the Cipriano incident. But unless she was in imminent danger, I don't understand shooting anyone. But that's just me...

Buy American · May-22-12, 11:25 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

What a bleeding heart liberal you are. West Bloomfield obviously needs a STRESS unit.

Detroit needs STRESS, and if you want to argue that on this thread then you're about as simple minded as they come. This incident in W. Bloomfield has nothing to do with the thugs and bottom feeders preying on your women and children in Detroit.

**EastsideAl** · May-22-12, 11:30 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

What a bleeding heart liberal you are. West Bloomfield obviously needs a STRESS unit.

Now now, you know very well that STRESS units are only necessary to control ANIMALS. A nice human grandmother like Ms. Layne deserves nothing but our patient sympathy and understanding for her apparent necessity to blast 8 bullets into her unarmed and fleeing grandson. Only a coddler of thugs and bottom feeding ANIMALS would feel otherwise about the treatment of nice old human beings..

**Hermod** · May-22-12, 11:32 AM

Originally Posted by Buy American

Detroit needs STRESS, and if you want to argue that on this thread then you're about as simple minded as they come. This incident in W. Bloomfield has nothing to do with the thugs and bottom feeders preying on your women and children in Detroit.

I would imagine that there are a lot of grandmothers in Detroit being threatened and robbed by their grandchildren. This is an issue which goes beyond race and class.

**iheartthed** · May-22-12, 11:34 AM

Originally Posted by Buy American

Detroit needs STRESS, and if you want to argue that on this thread then you're about as simple minded as they come.

YOU are the only one arguing that Detroit needs STRESS, not me. I would not argue something so idiotic. I'm just noticing a lot more compassion for old white grandmas in Oakland County from you than you give young black kids in Detroit. Maybe we need some young black men in hoodies to drive around W. Bloomfield making sure old white ladies don't shoot their grand kids.

Originally Posted by Buy American

This incident in W. Bloomfield has nothing to do with the thugs and bottom feeders preying on your women and children in Detroit.

My women and children? Was that a misspeak? The new "diversity" in your neighborhood got you a little tongue-tied?

**jt1** · May-22-12, 11:39 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

My women and children? Was that a misspeak? The new "diversity" in your neighborhood got you a little tongue-tied?

It's better that he use "diversity" than the n-bomb which I'm sure he does with his friends and family. His slips are becoming more prevalent and would be humorous if his attempts to hide his racism weren't so sad and pitiful.

**iheartthed** · May-22-12, 11:47 AM

Originally Posted by jt1

It's better that he use "diversity" than the n-bomb which I'm sure he does with his friends and family. His slips are becoming more prevalent and would be humorous if his attempts to hide his racism weren't so sad and pitiful.

Yes, they have. I honestly have nothing to add to this discussion about the woman shooting her grandson and Lowell is free to remove my comments whenever he wants. It's a tragic incident, to be sure. But knock me over with a feather if Mr. Police State Advocate himself wasn't the first one crying huge puppy dog tears in defense of this woman.

**jt1** · May-22-12, 11:49 AM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

Yes, they have. I honestly have nothing to add to this discussion about the woman shooting her grandson and Lowell is free to remove my comments whenever he wants. It's a tragic incident, to be sure. But knock me over with a feather if Mr. Police State Advocate himself wasn't the first one crying huge puppy dog tears in defense of this woman.

Agreed - Lowell, you are also free to delete my comments. Just pointing out the hypocrisy but not really discussing the topic at hand.

**jcole** · May-22-12, 11:51 AM

Whether or not she bought a gun because she was frightened by the Cipriano case doesn't really signify. The fact is, she shot an unarmed kid 10 times, with most of the shots being fired AFTER he was down and calling 911 while he died.
Unless he was Frankenstien's monster, I doubt that he was lunging across the room at her with a bullet in his chest and a phone in his hand. She defended herself; she didn't need to empty the damned clip.

**gazhekwe** · May-22-12, 11:56 AM

I agree with jcole. If she was afraid, she had taken care of the threat, why keep shooting? I see a problem with her being allowed to buy a gun if she couldn't control it, and I also think her mental state at the time is in question.

**rjk** · May-22-12, 12:03 PM

Originally Posted by Johnnny5

To me there's just not enough information being made public to determine what happened and why. Perhaps the kid was a serious threat or maybe the woman just completely fell off her rocker. The idea that she's some kind of animal that has managed to suppress such violent capacities for all those years does not seem very likely.

The father made a comment about her having no reason to kill him. I wonder if he and his wife have any feelings of guilt for dumping their kid off on the 74 and 86 year old grandparents? Even if they agreed to it they probably had no idea what it would be like to be around a 17 year old.

**Pickford-Bentler** · May-22-12, 12:11 PM

My father recently passed away due to dementia. The bouts of sudden violent paranoia are startling. Age 74 is not too early for dementia. Just making a guess based on the scant information presented.

Buy American · May-22-12, 12:15 PM

Originally Posted by iheartthed

YOU are the only one arguing that Detroit needs STRESS, not me. I would not argue something so idiotic. I'm just noticing a lot more compassion for old white grandmas in Oakland County from you than you give young black kids in Detroit. Maybe we need some young black men in hoodies to drive around W. Bloomfield making sure old white ladies don't shoot their grand kids.

My women and children? Was that a misspeak? The new "diversity" in your neighborhood got you a little tongue-tied?

Never said a word about STRESS until you brought it up...

"What a bleeding heart liberal you are. West Bloomfield obviously needs a STRESS unit."

I do have compassion for this "old white grandma" in Oakland County. Race was not a part of my post #2 on this thread but it sure brought a lot of racial hatred from a couple of posters here.

I have compassion for the law abiding innocents in Detroit who are getting murdered, raped, car jacked. I have no compassion for the bottom feeding thugs who are doing these crimes. If some can't see the difference, it's their problem, not mine.

**jt1** · May-22-12, 12:19 PM

Originally Posted by Buy American

I do have compassion for this "old white grandma" in Oakland County.

I have compassion for the law abiding innocents in Detroit who are getting murdered, raped, car jacked. I have no compassion for the bottom feeding thugs who are doing these crimes. If some can't see the difference, it's their problem, not mine.

This "old white grandma" in Oakland County appears to be a murderer. The issue is that someone that appears to be a murderer gets your compassion because she is an old white grandma.

That goes for many on this thread. Quick to defend her, determining possible motives or asking that all facts come out before we judge. Why isn't this 'compassion' applied to other murderers? Whether found guilty or not by the courts she murdered her own grandson but you give her a pass.

**jt1** · May-22-12, 12:28 PM

And to compare your hypocrisy, in the thread about a fire in HP, you state this about someone because of the shirt he is wearing, "I just watched video clip of the story and saw the a$$hole thug with the Stop Snitching T-Shirt on behind poor grandmaw crying about her bible. Typical crud that is the root cause of Highland Park's and Detroit's problems."

So let me get this straight: Wearing a T-shirt with a saying [[which I strongly disagree with) makes him an a$$hole thug that can't show any sympathy for his grandmother that lost everything but.......the white Oakland County Grandmother that killed her grandson elicits your sad sympathy.

Is the double standard racial, socio-eonomic, cultural? Because something isn't adding up in your view of who should elicit sympathy and who should not.

Buy American · May-22-12, 12:31 PM

Originally Posted by jt1

This "old white grandma" in Oakland County appears to be a murderer. The issue is that someone that appears to be a murderer gets your compassion because she is an old white grandma.

That goes for many on this thread. Quick to defend her, determining possible motives or asking that all facts come out before we judge. Why isn't this 'compassion' applied to other murderers? Whether found guilty or not by the courts she murdered her own grandson but you give her a pass.

Originally Posted by iheartthed

YOU are the only one arguing that Detroit needs STRESS, not me. I would not argue something so idiotic. I'm just noticing a lot more compassion for old white grandmas in Oakland County from you than you give young black kids in Detroit. Maybe we need some young black men in hoodies to drive around W. Bloomfield making sure old white ladies don't shoot their grand kids."

Jeez....get your facts straight before opening your ignorant mouth jt1. I am not the author of that phrase.

What other murderers are you talking about? The ones in Detroit who would rather shoot you than look at you? The ones who are lurking behind garbage cans ready to pounce on unsuspecting women and children and pastors? The gang bangers who want to prove themselves and their manhood? Are those the murderers you want me to have compassion for?

Buy American · May-22-12, 12:36 PM

Originally Posted by jt1

And to compare your hypocrisy, in the thread about a fire in HP, you state this about someone because of the shirt he is wearing, "I just watched video clip of the story and saw the a$$hole thug with the Stop Snitching T-Shirt on behind poor grandmaw crying about her bible. Typical crud that is the root cause of Highland Park's and Detroit's problems."

So let me get this straight: Wearing a T-shirt with a saying [[which I strongly disagree with) makes him an a$$hole thug that can't show any sympathy for his grandmother that lost everything but.......the white Oakland County Grandmother that killed her grandson elicits your sad sympathy.

Is the double standard racial, socio-eonomic, cultural? Because something isn't adding up in your view of who should elicit sympathy and who should not.

Absolutely. It shows his mentality about snitching and not to do it. In the meantime, his grandmother [[who I had sympathy for) was upset about losing her bible, and most of her belongings and this a$$hole publically shows everyone that he doesn't give a damn about her or anyone else. No double standard, just common sense.

No more from me on this thread regarding this grandma.