A mother accused of helping her son move the dismembered remains of a woman pleaded no contest Monday before a trial in Grand Rapids. The mother is Barbara Chance, whose son, Jared Chance, made national headlines after he was convicted in September of killing and dismembering 31-year-old Ashley Young.
Young was last seen alive at a Grand Rapids bar with Chance the night of Nov. 29, 2018. According to police, two days later, Chance’s neighbor found her torso in the basement of Chance’s Grand Rapids rental home. Her head and other body parts have never been found.
Investigators say Barbara and her husband, James Chance, picked up their son and drove him to their Holland home, along with boxes of body parts, a saw and cleaning products. The saw later was found under the couple’s couch.
On Monday, Barbara pleaded no contest to perjury and accessory after the fact.
Meanwhile, a jury was selected Monday in the trial of his father, James Chance, a former Rock Island, Illinois, police officer. He’s charged with perjury and accessory after the fact as well.
Both face up to a year in prison if convicted. Last October, a judge sentenced Jared to 100 years in prison after he refused to disclose the location of the missing body parts.