GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. — James Chance, the father of convicted killer Jared Chance, will not face a second trial for helping his son cover up the murder and mutilation of a Kalamazoo woman.
Kent County Prosecutor Chris Becker made the announcement Friday.
On January 13, a jury found James Chance guilty of being an accessory after the fact for assisting his son after the murder of Ashley Young. The jury found James Chance not guilty of one count of perjury, but they could not reach a decision on a second count of perjury.
The first perjury charge comes after Chance was accused of lying about when he returned home with his family by saying it was “dark” out and they went to bed soon after, when there was evidence that showed that it was still in the afternoon when they returned, according to a statement from Becker. The jury found him not guilty of this crime.
The second count of perjury was based on James Chance saying that the family went “directly home, I think,” but there was evidence that the family stopped at a Costco before they returned, the statement continued.
Becker said prosecutors argued that Chance lied about the time of his return home and his path home to cover up what happened on the return trip. Because the jury found him not guilty of perjury regarding the time the family returned home, Becker said he would not be able to argue that was a lie at any retrial.
"We would be left with trying to prove that James Chance lied when he said 'I think' the family went directly home, and that he 'knew that the statement was false when he made it,'" Becker said the a statement.
He went on to say the likelihood of conviction on a retrial was "not sufficiently likely" -- based on what evidence would be admissible.
Chance's son, Jared Chance, is serving a 100-year prison sentence for Young's death. Chance's wife, Barbara, has pleaded no contest to perjury and being an accessory to Young's murder.
RELATED VIDEO:
MORE on 13 ON YOUR SIDE:
►Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the 13 ON YOUR SIDE app now.
Have a news tip? Email news@13onyourside.com, visit our Facebook page or Twitter. Subscribe to our YouTube channel.