{"id":341966,"date":"2025-10-30T00:53:14","date_gmt":"2025-10-30T00:53:14","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/341966\/"},"modified":"2025-10-30T00:53:14","modified_gmt":"2025-10-30T00:53:14","slug":"illinois-deputy-found-guilty-of-murder-in-the-shooting-of-sonya-massey","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/341966\/","title":{"rendered":"Illinois deputy found guilty of murder in the shooting of Sonya Massey"},"content":{"rendered":"

PEORIA, Ill. (AP) \u2014 A jury on Wednesday convicted an Illinois sheriff\u2019s deputy of second-degree murder, a lesser charge, in the shooting death of Sonya Massey<\/a>, a Black woman who called 911 to report a suspected prowler.<\/p>\n

Sean Grayson could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison or even probation. The jury did not convict him of first-degree murder, a crime that carries a sentence of 45 years to life.<\/p>\n

Massey\u2019s supporters were angered by the result. <\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m fueled by rage right now,\u201d said Massey\u2019s cousin, Sontae Massey. \u201cYou get an officer that says he\u2019s going to shoot you in the face, and then he shoots you in the face, and you only get second-degree? The justice system did exactly what it\u2019s designed to do today. It\u2019s not meant for us.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police on Monday, July 22, 2024, former Sangamon County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Sean Grayson, left, points his gun at Sonya Massey, who called 911 for help, before shooting and killing her inside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. (Illinois State Police via AP, file)<\/p>\n

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police on Monday, July 22, 2024, former Sangamon County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Sean Grayson, left, points his gun at Sonya Massey, who called 911 for help, before shooting and killing her inside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. (Illinois State Police via AP, file)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

A call for help and a fatal encounter<\/p>\n

Massey\u2019s killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes<\/a>, and prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency<\/a> on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs. <\/p>\n

Massey\u2019s father, James Wilburn, called for the Illinois measure to become law nationally, along with stalled federal police misconduct and civil rights legislation.<\/p>\n

\u201cThere\u2019s a difference in this country when you have my skin color and Grayson\u2019s skin color,\u201d Wilburn said. \u201cWe need serious justice, not a miscarriage of justice.\u201d<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\n Stay up to date with the latest news from AP.\n <\/p>\n


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Grayson, who is white, and another deputy arrived at Massey\u2019s home in Springfield early on July 6, 2024, after she reported hearing someone banging on the outside of her house. He shot the 36-year-old woman<\/a> after confronting her inside about how she was handling a pot of hot water on the stove.<\/p>\n

Grayson and his attorneys argued that he fired his gun in fear that Massey would scald him with the hot water, contending at one point that Massey provoked the encounter by threatening to throw the pot at him. <\/p>\n

\u201cAnybody who watched the video and thinks that it was partly Sonya\u2019s fault is inhumane,\u201d Massey\u2019s mother, Donna Massey, said after the verdict. \u201cAnd for them not to give him life, and Sonya got life \u2013 and death \u2026 I can\u2019t wait until he goes to hell.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grayson, 31, who was fired upon his indictment, was charged with first-degree murder, but the jury was given the option of considering second-degree murder, which can apply when a defendant faces a \u201cserious provocation\u201d or believes their action is justified even if that belief is unreasonable. He will be sentenced on Jan. 29.<\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"This<\/p>\n

This January 2025 booking photo provided by the Macon County jail shows Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County Sheriff\u2019s deputy who is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey in Springfield, Ill. (Macon County Jail via AP,File)<\/p>\n

This January 2025 booking photo provided by the Macon County jail shows Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County Sheriff\u2019s deputy who is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey in Springfield, Ill. (Macon County Jail via AP,File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

State\u2019s Attorney John Milhiser would not comment as he left the courtroom. He was repeatedly praised by Massey\u2019s supporters for pursuing a trial that was moved 75 miles (120.7 kilometers) north to the Peoria County courthouse because of intense publicity in Springfield. <\/p>\n

Defense attorney Daniel Fultz declined to comment after the verdict.<\/p>\n

Officer testified in his own defense<\/p>\n

Body camera video<\/a> recorded by another Sangamon County sheriff\u2019s deputy at the scene, Dawson Farley, was a key part of the prosecution\u2019s case. It showed Massey, who struggled with mental health issues, telling the officers, \u201cDon\u2019t hurt me,\u201d and repeating, \u201cPlease God.\u201d <\/p>\n

When the deputies entered the house, Grayson saw the pot on the stove and ordered Farley to move it. Massey jumped up to retrieve the pot, and she and Grayson joked about how he said he was backing off from the \u201chot, steaming water.\u201d Massey then replied, \u201cI rebuke you in the name of Jesus.\u201d<\/p>\n

Grayson immediately warned her that he would shoot her in the face. He and Farley drew their pistols and yelled at Massey to put the pot down. Grayson, who testified in his own defense, told investigators he thought her \u201crebuke\u201d meant she intended to kill him<\/a> and, in the following commotion, fired three shots, striking Massey just below the eye. <\/p>\n

<\/p>\n

\"In<\/p>\n

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police, Sonya Massey, left, talks with former Sangamon County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Sean Grayson outside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. (Illinois State Police via AP, File)<\/p>\n

In this image taken from body camera video released by Illinois State Police, Sonya Massey, left, talks with former Sangamon County Sheriff\u2019s Deputy Sean Grayson outside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. (Illinois State Police via AP, File)<\/p>\n

Read More<\/p>\n

Former justice says probation off the table at sentencing<\/p>\n

While probation is a possible punishment, former state appellate court Justice David Erickson, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of Law, said it\u2019s unlikely. <\/p>\n

\u201cThere will be no probation because of the killing of an innocent woman,\u201d Erickson said. \u201cObviously, the jury could not find any intent to kill, necessary for murder one.\u201d<\/p>\n

But Erickson predicted Grayson would get a sentence on the low end of the four- to 20-year range \u2014 which comes with day-for-day credit if he behaves behind bars \u2014 because Grayson has no criminal record, lacked intent to kill, and believed, mistakenly, that he was in danger. <\/p>\n

Despite family members\u2019 anger, Antonio Romanucci, one of the lawyers who helped Massey\u2019s relatives win a $10 million<\/a> settlement from Sangamon County, said, \u201cMake no mistake: Sean Grayson is convicted of murder. He is a murderer now.\u201d<\/p>\n

Farley testified that Massey didn\u2019t say or do anything that caused him to view her as a threat<\/a>. But under cross-examination, he acknowledged that he initially reported to investigators that he feared for his safety because of the hot water. Farley did not fire his weapon and was not charged. <\/p>\n

Massey\u2019s death forced the early retirement of the sheriff who hired Grayson and generated a U.S. Justice Department inquiry<\/a> that was settled when the Sangamon County Sheriff\u2019s Department\u2019s agreed to bolster de-escalation training, work with mental health professionals when necessary and generate data on use-of-force incidents. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"PEORIA, Ill. (AP) \u2014 A jury on Wednesday convicted an Illinois sheriff\u2019s deputy of second-degree murder, a lesser…\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":341967,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4,3],"tags":[168376,3881,4219,10407,168378,168377,57,4221,1819,1818,168379,168375,12588,362,50,2068,168373,168374,10427,61,67,132,68],"class_list":{"0":"post-341966","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-united-states","8":"category-us","9":"tag-antonio-romanucci","10":"tag-ap-top-news","11":"tag-crime","12":"tag-criminal-punishment","13":"tag-daniel-fultz","14":"tag-donna-massey","15":"tag-general-news","16":"tag-homicide","17":"tag-il-state-wire","18":"tag-illinois","19":"tag-james-wilburn","20":"tag-john-milhiser","21":"tag-juries","22":"tag-legal-proceedings","23":"tag-news","24":"tag-race-and-ethnicity","25":"tag-sean-grayson","26":"tag-sonya-massey","27":"tag-springfield","28":"tag-u-s-news","29":"tag-united-states","30":"tag-unitedstates","31":"tag-us"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"https:\/\/pubeurope.com\/@us\/115460388347645606","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341966","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=341966"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/341966\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/341967"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=341966"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=341966"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=341966"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}