Jurors in Michigan began deliberations Tuesday in the case of a 75-year-old grandmother who fatally shot her teenage grandson. Prosecutors say Sandra Layne committed first-degree murder last spring when she shot 17-year-old Jonathan Hoffman six times at their home in West Bloomfield Township, near Detroit.
Defense attorneys contend Layne lived in fear of her grandson, since he had physically abused her and used drugs often. They say she was acting in self-defense, trying
to fight off another attack when she pulled the trigger.
Hoffman called 911, telling the operator he had been shot in the chest by his grandma and that he was going to die. Layne shot him again while he made the call.
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On Kelly’s Court this afternoon, Megyn Kelly asked former prosecutor Randy Zelin and defense attorney David Wohl about the case.
Zelin said he believes the 911 call is the key, because the defense cannot plausibly claim that Layne was still acting in self-defense if her grandson was wounded and on the phone pleading for help. He said the call shows Layne was acting willfully and deliberately, which amounts to first-degree murder.
Wohl countered that he does not believe the call will be “compelling” for the jurors in the complex case.
“He could have hung up the phone and gone after her again,” said Wohl.
Both said they think the likeliest outcome is a compromise verdict, finding Layne guilty of manslaughter.
Watch the debate and hear the dramatic 911 call:
Source and Video: http://insider.foxnews.com/2013/03/19/kellys-court-debates-trial-of-michigan-grandma-who-shot-grandson-is-sandra-layne-a-cold-blooded-killer-or-a-victim