KENT COUNTY, MI (WKZO AM/FM) — UPDATE: Jared Chance’s brother, Konrad Chance, has testified in court against their father, James Chance.
Konrad testified in court Wednesday that he and his parents had traveled to the home of Jared on December 2nd, 2018. During this visit, Jared had loaded several items into their vehicle, including a box that contained Young’s remains.
According to Konrad’s testimony, Jared confessed the murder of Ashley Young to him first while at the family home in Holland. After this, Jared confessed to his parents.
The box was later moved back to Jared’s apartment in Grand Rapids, after which the family took Jared to the Grand Rapids Police Department.
Konrad had said that he didn’t believe his father helped move the box but was unsure. A testifying detective said that James Chance had told him otherwise.
The trial for James Chance, who is accused of perjury and being an accessory to the murder after the fact, is expected to continue through this week. If convicted, he could face life in prison.
— Original Story —
The trial for James Chance is underway in Kent County Court.
James’ son Jared Chance is serving a 100-to-200-year sentence for the murder of 31-year-old Ashley Young of Oshtemo after parts of her body were found in his Grand Rapids home in November of 2018. His parents are accused of helping Jared cover up the crime.
On Monday, Jared’s mother Barbara Chance pleaded no contest to perjury charges and for being an accessory after the fact of Young’s murder. Kent County Circuit Judge Paul J. Denenfeld says he plans to sentence Barbara to no more than one year in Kent County Jail. Her sentencing is scheduled for February 19th.
Her husband is also facing perjury and accessory charges after the fact in Young’s mutilation. If convicted James Chance could face life in prison.
During Tuesdays trial the Assistant Kent County Prosecutor argued that James lied about what time they drove between Grand Rapid and Holland and how they got there. The couple is accused of transporting Young’s remains and other evidence from the two homes.
Before the trial, the judge ruled that the gruesome photos of the crime scene shown to the jury during Jared’s trial will not be shown during this trial. In fact one potential juror was actually excused because she said should could not bare seeing the photos of Young’s remains.
Defense attorney Laura Joyce argued that James told his son to take responsibility for his actions and drove him to the police department. In the defenses opening statement, Joyce said he didn’t want his son to talk at the police station until he had an attorney present.
The first person called to testify was a police lieutenant from a department in Rock Island, Illinois, who confirmed that James Chance was employed at a detective sargent there from 1965 until 1989.
The victims mother Kristine Young was also called to testify, explaining what she was thinking the day her daughter went missing. After finding out that Jared Chance was the last person to see her, Young remembered speaking with Chance, who denied it and told her she was with another person.
Kristine told reporters the day before that she was furious after Barbara Chance took a plea while appearing before a judge, saying that it was a “joke” and the family has not taken responsibility for their actions.
In the afternoon hours of Chance’s trial, detectives and crime scene investigators showed evidence from the crime scene and a saw they say was used to dismember Ashley Young. Detectives later found that same saw hidden underneath a couch at the family’s Holland home.
The prosecutors hoped to use their time to establish that step by step the perpetrator’s father lied during the investigation and helped his son conceal the murder. The defense used testimony to describe how most of the evidence used in Young’s dismemberment was “out in the open” at the Chance’s home.
The younger Chance’s downstairs neighbor Mario Nelson, who discovered Young’s remains and called police, also testified during Tuesday court proceedings.
