Jurors began deliberating late Tuesday morning in the murder trial for former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who had called police for help.
The jury received the case following closing arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys.
In July 2024, Massey called 911 to report a prowler. Grayson was among the officers who responded.
During their interaction, Massey walked towards a pot of water on the stove. Massey told officers, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” before the officers pulled out their weapons, yelling for her to drop the pot. That’s when Grayson shot Massey.
Grayson, who faces three counts of first-degree murder, took the stand on Monday and offered his version of events. When he and his partner arrived at Massey’s home in the Springfield area on July 6, 2024, Grayson’s body-worn camera was not on.
“I should have turned it on when I saw the broken windows of the car outside,” Grayson told jurors.
Grayson said that the broken window, Massey’s call for help, and having to wait four minutes for Massey to answer the door made him concerned that someone else could have been in the house.
He also claimed, “I believed she was possibly under the influence of something,” and said that she appeared “scatterbrained.”
He said he turned his camera on as he began to question her. He testified that Massey had a pot of boiling water on the stove, and he believed she was threatening to throw it on him when he opened fire, shooting her.
“I saw the bottom of the pot was turning red, so it seemed very hot,” he said. “Then she picked up the pot and walked towards me. … I wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do.”
Grayson said Massey asked, “Where are you going?” and he responded, “away from your hot steaming water.”
“I took it as a threat,” he said. “It raises a lot of concern for me, and I believe she’s going to throw the water. … We were trained to use force that’s going to gain compliance.”
Grayson said he was equipped with a Taser, but testified, “She was wearing layers and both prongs have to stick in for the Taser to work.”
Jurors last week heard from Grayson’s partner, who said he wasn’t afraid of Massey, but said he was afraid of Grayson.
The jury was selected for the trial last week, and is made up of nine women and three men. One juror is Black.
In August, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Sonya Massey Bill, which requires more thorough background checks for officers in the state.
contributed to this report.
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