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On May 18th, 2012, 911 operators in West Bloomfield Township, Michigan, received a shocking call from Johnathan Hoffman. The 17-year-old screamed My grandma shot me. I’m gonna die!

Police arrived at the home minutes later and heard gunshots. They confronted the perpetrator, 74-year-old Sandra Maxine Layne, and convinced her to put the gun down.

As the deranged granny was being arrested, she stated, “I murdered my grandson.”

Hoffman was taken to the hospital with six gunshot wounds, but he was pronounced dead on arrival.

Authorities took Layne to the hospital briefly. While she was there, she told police her grandson didn’t harm her.

She was taken from the hospital to the police station, where her story changed.
She said he had anger issues and was acting erratically in recent months, leading to her purchasing a gun.

She claimed she grabbed her gun and shot Hoffman after he threatened her life and kicked her in the stomach.

While Layne was being interviewed, police working the crime scene saw blood throughout the home as well as ten bullet casings. It was clear the teen moved throughout the house as he tried to escape harm.

Layne was charged with possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony and open murder. Her trial started in May 2013.

Layne’s lawyer painted Hoffman as a troubled kid. They said he had legal issues after being caught with marijuana and later Adderall. An autopsy later revealed he had synthetic marijuana in his system when he was killed.

The prosecution told the jury the incident was deliberate because Layne sent her husband to walk the dog beforehand. The prosecutors also had a damning 911 call, which indicated a three-minute gap between shots being fired, meaning Layne had a substantial amount of time to think about what she was doing.

The prosecution got Layne to admit during cross-examination that she pulled a gun on her grandson because she wanted him to listen. She admitted she was not in fear.

A jury convicted her of second-degree murder and the gun charge. She was sentenced to 20 to 40 years for the murder and 2 years for the gun charges. A total sentence of 22-42 years in prison.

Prison records indicate she was discharged on April 8th, 2024, however their is no reason listed for the discharge.