Lawyers gave their opening statements to a jury at the Peoria County Courthouse on Wednesday morning, officially kicking off the trial of a former Illinois deputy accused of fatally shooting Sonya Massey.
Sean Grayson, 31, shot Massey, a 36-year-old Black mother of two, in June 2024 after she called authorities to her Springfield home about a possible prowler. The former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, who is white, said in a report written after the incident that he feared bodily harm because Massey was holding a pot of boiling water and said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Nearly two weeks later, Grayson was fired and charged with first-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery and one count of official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty and was held in jail pending trial.
This week, the aggravated battery and official misconduct charges were dropped at the request of the prosecutors with no objection from the defense.
Jury selection began Monday when 12 jurors and 3 alternates were sworn in. No cameras are allowed in the courtroom as the judge has said he does not want the jury to get distracted, and thinks cameras can change how people act and testify.
John Milhiser, the state’s attorney for Sangamon County, said in his opening statement that Grayson went into Massey’s home where she “was not a suspect” and shot and killed her “without lawful justification.”
Milhiser noted that Grayson did not immediately turn on his body camera that night, which is part of a pattern of not following policies or training. He said Grayson shot Massey because he was angry.
In the lead up to the shooting, Milhiser says Massey was “nice and kind” when talking Grayson and his partner. He describes what happens on the body camera video as “what happens when the defendant gets mad at a woman who is standing in her own kitchen.”
Grayson’s attorney, Daniel L Fultz, said in his opening statement that evidence will show that the former deputy lawfully discharged his weapon and acted to protect his life.
“He believed he would suffer great bodily harm or death,” he said.
He said that Grayson had warned Massey to put down the pot of water before firing his weapon.
“What happened to Ms. Massey was a tragedy, but it was not a crime,” Fultz said.
Fultz asked jurors to avoid forming opinions on the case early on, and argued that while police officers are often called to run towards danger, “That doesn’t mean when danger presents itself, they can’t defend themselves.”
Grayson appeared in court wearing a black suit and glasses. He sometimes rocked back and forth in his chair and glanced at the courtroom gallery, where media and members of Massey’s family were seated.
Massey’s killing triggered a national response, igniting protests across the country. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse Monday to call for justice for Massey, who had mental health issues, according to her family.
Her death raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes and it prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.
The prosecution’s first witness, an Illinois State Police officer who investigates officer-involved shootings, testified that he was called to document the scene, but was surprised when he saw the body camera footage in the days after.
“I just thought there had to be something more. Verbal threats, lengthy interactions, something that would have led to a deadly force interaction,” Weston testified.
The trial is expected to last a week and a half.
Minyvonne Burke contributed.
