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GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. (AP) — A retired police officer accused of helping his son after he killed and dismembered a woman in western Michigan was convicted Monday of committing perjury and acting as an accessory.
The Kent County jury was deadlocked and couldn't reach a unanimous decision on an additional perjury charge. The results of James Chance's trial emerged a few hours after a judge told struggling jurors to keep working toward a verdict.
Chance's son, Jared Chance, is serving a 100-year prison sentence for killing and dismembering Ashley Young in 2018.
Young's torso was found in the basement of Jared Chance's Grand Rapids rental home, but other remains of the 31-year-old woman haven't been located. They knew each other.
Police said James Chance and wife Barbara picked up their son and drove him 30 miles (50 kilometers) to their Holland home, along with boxes of body parts, a saw and cleaning products. The saw was found under the couple's couch.
James Chance's attorney told jurors that he did his part by taking his son to the Grand Rapids police department. Jared Chance wasn't immediately arrested.
“There is one person who is responsible for the murder of Ashley Young. There is one person who is responsible for the mutilation of Ashley Young," Laura Joyce said, referring to the son.
James Chance is a former Rock Island, Illinois, police officer. Barbara Chance, 64, last week pleaded no contest to perjury and accessory after the dismemberment.
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