BATTLE CREEK, Mich. (WOOD) — He was 14 when he opened fire on a good Samaritan who offered him a ride on a bitterly cold night, and now, Justice Chimner will spend at least three decades in prison.
On Monday, a Calhoun County judge sentenced Chimner to 35 to 60 years for the deadly shooting, which occurred during a carjacking in February 2023.
Chimner, now 16, pleaded guilty in December to felony murder for the shooting death of Battle Creek Central High School senior Jack Snyder.
Snyder, 17, was heading home from his girlfriend’s birthday party when he saw Chimner and another teen walking. He asked the pair if they needed a ride home because it was bitterly cold that night. Chimner and 13-year-old Dewond Estes III accepted.
That act of kindness turned sinister when the pair tried to carjack Snyder’s vehicle. Snyder was shot twice. He was found next to his car in the area of Battle Creek Avenue and Capital Avenue. Snyder died at the scene.
The two suspects were arrested within days.
Estes pleaded guilty in October to carjacking. A judge in January sentenced Estes, now 14, to a blended sentence that includes several years in a juvenile facility with quarterly reviews.
Charges were filed earlier this year against a third person whom investigators say asked that a car be stolen in exchange for money, court documents show.
Marcus Parsons, 20, has a hearing later this month on multiple charges, including felony murder.
Chimner told police that earlier on the day of the shooting, he was contacted by someone and was asked to steal a car in exchange for money. Detectives traced the Snapchat account to Parsons, court records show.
*Correction: A previous version of this article misstated Chimner’s current age. We regret the error, which has been corrected.