A jury has discovered a former Illinois sheriff’s deputy responsible of second-degree homicide within the deadly taking pictures of Sonya Massey.
The trial started final week for Sean Grayson, the previous Sangamon County deputy, within the deadly taking pictures of Massey in July 2024 after she referred to as 911 to report a doable intruder at her residence in Springfield, Illinois.
Grayson had been charged with a complete of three counts in reference to Massey’s loss of life — first-degree homicide, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not responsible to “all counts,” his lawyer instructed ABC Information.
Following the seven-day trial, the jury was given the choice of contemplating second-degree homicide, in accordance ABC station WLS in Chicago. Grayson’s sentencing is about for Jan. 29, 2026.
“If you threaten to shoot somebody within the face, and also you do, that is first-degree homicide,” Sangamon County Assistant State’s Lawyer Mary Beth Rodgers mentioned throughout closing arguments on Tuesday, in line with ABC affiliate WICS in Springfield.
On this July 30, 2024, file photograph, Donna Massey, the mom of taking pictures sufferer Sonya Massey, is comforted throughout a press convention at New Mount Pilgrim Church in Chicago.
Scott Olson/Getty Photos, FILE
Rodgers mentioned the largest lie Grayson instructed was that he had no alternative in taking pictures Massey, in line with WICS. The assistant state lawyer mentioned Grayson continued to lie over and over on the stand, together with when he mentioned he tried to show his physique digital camera on.
Based on bodycam footage from his accomplice, Grayson, who was inside Massey’s residence, factors to a pot of boiling water on her range and says, “We do not want a fireplace whereas we’re in right here.”
Massey then pours the water into the sink and tells the deputy, “I rebuke you within the identify of Jesus,” in line with the video.
Grayson threatens to shoot her and Massey apologizes and geese down behind a counter, masking her face with what seems to be a purple oven mitt, the video reveals. As she briefly rises, Grayson shoots her thrice within the face, the footage reveals.
On this July 27, 2024, file photograph, mourners put up candles whereas attending a vigil for Sonya Massey in Folger Park in Washington, D.C.
Aashish Kiphayet/Nurphoto through Reuters, FILE
“He desires you to consider that he was scared,” Rodgers mentioned of Grayson. “However you don’t should consider that as a result of it’s not true.”
The assistant state lawyer mentioned that Massey’s ultimate phrases earlier than being shot together with her arms up had been, “I am sorry,” in line with WICS.
Daniel Fultz, Grayson’s protection lawyer, mentioned throughout closing arguments that what occurred to Massey was a tragedy however not against the law, in line with WICS.
“As exhausting as that’s to listen to and settle for, the result of this specific case was pushed by Sonya Massey’s actions,” Fultz mentioned, in line with WICS.
The protection lawyer acknowledged that when Massey mentioned, “I rebuke you within the identify of Jesus,” Grayson believed it was a menace, and the jury did not should agree with the previous deputy, however that’s what he believed, in line with WICS.
Fultz mentioned that he did not care if the jury did not like Grayson as an individual as a result of that wasn’t what they had been there to resolve.
“The factor you can’t do is let your feelings dictate the result of this case,” the protection lawyer instructed the jury, in line with WICS.
In rebuttal, Sangamon County State’s Lawyer John Milhiser referenced the protection’s instruction for the jury to not let their feelings resolve the outcomes of the trial, in line with WICS.
“Huh, that’s what occurred,” Milhiser mentioned, in line with WICS. “The defendant let his feelings dictate the result of what occurred in Sonya Massey’s kitchen.”
The prosecution performed Grayson’s accomplice’s physique digital camera footage of the taking pictures on a monitor, inflicting a number of relations of Massey to cry or go away the courtroom, in line with WICS. Grayson leaned ahead over a desk, not watching the monitor. One juror appeared to cry as she watched the footage, holding a notepad as much as her face in an try to cover behind it, in line with WICS.
“Here is this large, harmful pot,” Milhiser mentioned as he held up the kitchenware for the jury to see, in line with WICS.
Chief Circuit Choose Ryan Cadagin put the court docket in recess as he despatched the jury out for deliberation after the closing arguments, in line with WICS.
Fultz declined to offer a remark to ABC Information forward of the trial.
The footage launched by Illinois State Police reveals the incident from the accomplice’s perspective as a result of Grayson didn’t activate his personal physique digital camera till after the taking pictures, in line with court docket paperwork reviewed by ABC Information.
Grayson took the stand in his personal protection Monday, telling the jury he thought Massey was threatening him the night time he and his accomplice responded to her.
The previous deputy mentioned that after he requested her to show off the range, which was heating a pot of boiling water, he thought she was threatening him and was going to throw the water at him.
In physique digital camera video, Massey doesn’t seem to boost the pot till after Grayson raises his gun, a key distinction, in line with prosecutors. He shoots and kills her moments later.
Grayson instructed the jury that he didn’t use a taser as a result of he had an older mannequin and Massey was carrying a number of layers of clothes. The previous deputy mentioned he didn’t wish to take the possibility of it malfunctioning.
Earlier than Grayson took the stand, his accomplice, who responded to Massey’s residence with him, mentioned on the stand that he didn’t see her as a menace earlier than his accomplice fired his gun.
The trial started with jury choice on Monday, the place a panel of 12 jurors was seated, in line with WICS. The method took greater than 5 hours and ended with a jury made up of 9 white girls, one Black man and two white males, in addition to two white males and one white lady chosen as alternate jurors.
The trial was moved from Sangamon County to Peoria County because of in depth media publicity.
