Mother of Slain Royal Oak Woman Consoles Killer's Mom

PONTIAC – A mother still grieving over the slaying of her 41-year-old daughter chose to reach out and comfort another hurting mother in Oakland County Circuit Court on Wednesday. That other woman is the mother of Christopher Michael Hearn, who was for the brutal murder of Ranae Ann Chupick of Royal Oak.

“I have feelings for the young man who murdered my daughter, OK, because I am a mom myself,” Sheila Adams said to reporters outside Oakland County Chief Circuit Judge Nanci Grant’s courtroom after the sentencing. “It was just a terrible, terrible thing that happened between two people.”

Hearn pleaded no contest to second-degree murder March 5 in the . Chupick’s body was found beaten and partially nude, her throat was slit and she was stabbed at least 12 times.

During the sentencing hearing, Adams, shaking and in tears, told Judge Grant that today was the hardest day of her life. The worst day, she said, was when she saw the lifeless body of her daughter and the extent of her injuries.

“Ranae was only 41 years old and she had her faults, but she did not deserve what happened to her,” the 67-year-old Lake Orion woman said. “I can only hope and pray she was unconscious and unaware of what was happening to her.”

Adams went on to tell the court that while she will never see her daughter again, Hearn will have contact with his family. “They will still have the opportunity to visit him or receive phone calls from him,” she said. “I will never have the opportunity to enjoy this simple pleasure.”

In court, Hearn addressed Chupick’s family and tearfully pleaded for their forgiveness. Adams was moved and could be overheard in court saying, “I feel sorry for him.”

After his sentencing, Hearn left the courtroom choking back tears, his head down, he looked up only once to see his family seated quietly in the last row in the courtroom.

When it was all over, in a gesture of kindness, Adams walked to the back of the courtroom in tears and embraced Hearn’s mother and family. The women exchanged phone numbers and promised to stay in touch.

Richard Mackie, a friend of Chupick, commented how the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree. “That’s exactly how Ranae was. She was able to see good in everything,” Mackie said. “I know she is here with us today.”