A 14-year-old from Michigan who confessed to killing a 17-year-old boy after he offered him and his friend a ride home will be sentenced to between 35 and 60 years in jail for the crime.
Justice Chimner pleaded guilty over the February 2023 murder of Jack Snyder.
Snyder asked Chimner and 13-year-old Dewond Estes III if they needed a lift because of the bitter cold.
The pair accepted Snyder’s act of kindness but then two teens suddenly decided to carjack Snyder’s vehicle, shooting him twice and leaving him for dead.
Estes told Snyder to pull over before taking the keys out of the ignition.
Chimner, who later admitted to police that he stole his mother’s 9mm pistol earlier in the day, then aimed the gun at Snyder.
As Snyder reached for the gun he placed his hands into a pouch on his jacket which Chimner believed he was reaching for his own gun leading him to shoot Snyder twice.
Snyder was found lifeless next to his car in the area of Battle Creek Avenue and Capital Avenue in Battle Creek, Michigan.
Justice Chimner pleaded guilty over the February 2023 murder of Jack Snyder
Estes pleaded guilty in October to the carjacking with his sentencing set for early January
A 17-year-old honor student was killed by a 14-year-old and a 13-year-old after he offered the suspects a ride home from a birthday party
EMTs and medical personal tried to revive the teen in subzero temperatures, but Snyder was declared dead at the scene.
Police recovered a gun at the scene of the crime but could not say which boy had fired the weapon.
Both Chimner and Estes were arrested within days of the killing.
After pleading guilty on Thursday, Chimner will now be sentenced in March.
Estes pleaded guilty in October to the carjacking with his sentencing set for early January.
Battle Creek Police Sergeant Jeff Case said it was Snyder’s desire to help led to his death.
‘The victim was trying to be a good Samaritan by giving them a ride with the cold temperatures. I do know that he resisted the carjacking. So again, he was trying to help out but wasn’t just going to give over the car,’ Case said.
The suspects had no known connection to Snyder. Case said that they ‘have dealt with them before’ but wouldn’t confirm any criminal history.
Chimner later admitted to police that he stole his mother’s 9mm pistol earlier in the day, then aimed the gun at Snyder while in his vehicle
Snyder was in the school’s National Honor Society and enrolled in an EMT program via a local community college
Jack Snyder (pictured center) was found lying next to his car just after midnight on January 17, 2023 in Battle Creek, Michigan after he was shot during an attempted carjacking
The teens accused of the death of 17-year-old Jack Snyder were both charged as adults
Teachers held a vigil procession in honor of Snyder days after his death in February 2023
At Snyder’s funeral, he was described as a ‘well-rounded student athlete’ who played varsity soccer, according to his obituary.
Snyder was in the school’s National Honor Society and enrolled in an EMT program via a local community college.
‘Jack had a zest for life and made the world a better place with his care and love for everyone. He loved spending time with his family and friends.’
Jack Snyder, a Battle Creek Central High School student, died in a shooting on February 24, 2023
Snyder was killed for what was his act of kindness
‘On behalf of my family and I, we want to thank every single person that has reached out and came to see us,’ his sister Meadow wrote in a Facebook post.
‘I’ve heard from people that I haven’t seen or heard from in years and it shows how much support we have during this never ending nightmare. My Brother was 17. He was supposed to graduate this year and these monsters took his future away from him. He was the smartest out of all of us. He was gonna leave this sh**** place. He had the biggest heart, he cared so much for others.’
They took our brother away from us. It doesn’t seem real, it’s all fake news. I miss him so much,’ she wrote.