A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who faces first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of an innocent Black woman this past summer will appear in court Friday for a hearing that could set him free while awaiting trial.
Sonya Massey, 36, was killed after Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean P. Grayson, who is white, opened fire at her Springfield home on July 6 after Massey placed a 911 call in the middle of the night to report a prowler.
A group of 15 to 20 protesters marched angrily outside the county building before Monday’s bond hearing, calling for Grayson to remain in custody.
Tiara Standage, who collaborated with Massey and played a key role in organizing the protest, expressed that it was “ridiculous” to even entertain the notion of releasing Grayson.
“It’s a slap in the face to the Massey family,” Standage said, according to the Springfield State Journal-Register. “They’re spending their first holidays without their loved one, and Sean Grayson could possibly spend his holidays with his family. That’s unfair.”
Last week, the Fourth District Court of Appeals reversed a lower court’s decision to keep Grayson jailed until trial, ruling that “no conditions of release would be adequate to mitigate the threat (Grayson) posed to the safety of the community.”
After the decision, James Wilburn, Massey’s father from Pine Bluff, Arkansas, described the possibility of Grayson’s release as “a serious miscarriage of justice.”
Previously, Circuit Court Judge Ryan Cadagin ordered Grayson held without bond under the Pre-Trial Fairness Act.
However, the appeals court countered on Nov. 27, stating that the trial court had unfairly tied Grayson’s bond to his shortcomings as a law enforcement officer. This, they argued, shifted focus away from the primary issue: determining how to mitigate any risks he might pose “after being stripped of his office.”
With the judgment in his favor, Grayson appeared Monday for a hearing via Zoom from the Macon County Jail in Decatur, accompanied by one of his attorneys, Daniel Fultz, who agreed to return to court on Dec. 6, when Grayson is expected to be released.
In a surprise move, State’s Attorney John Milhiser submitted a motion to delay the appellate court’s mandate, prompting a swift objection from the defendant. Ultimately, the court rejected the motion, allowing the appeals court ruling to proceed as planned.
Meanwhile, the Massey family, joined by Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, expressed outrage that Grayson would likely walk out of jail within a few days.
Grayson, who has been in custody since July 17, was first held at the Menard County Jail, but in late October, he was moved to the larger Macon County Jail in Decatur.
His release conditions could involve home confinement paired with a monitoring system to ensure his compliance.
Ken Pacha, a local activist in Springfield, argued that a charge of first-degree murder should automatically disqualify a defendant from being released from jail before trial.
“It makes a mockery of the Safe-T Act,” Pacha told the Journal-Register, referring to a sweeping criminal justice reform law passed in Illinois in 2021, which aims to improve the fairness and equity of the state’s criminal justice system.
Pacha added that removing Grayson’s badge doesn’t change his capacity for violence.
“Why would I believe that once your authoritative oversight has been removed that you’re going to be more responsible?” Pacha said. “That doesn’t make any sense at all.”
Since the shooting, the U.S. Department of Justice opened an investigation into the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, citing “serious concerns about (the sheriff department’s) interactions with Black people and people with behavioral health disabilities,” as well as several practices and procedures. The office is required to submit the necessary documents to the DOJ by December 14.
The deadly incident involving Grayson came into focus after prosecutors released body camera footage about two weeks after the shooting. The footage revealed a bizarre encounter that began as a polite exchange with officers but ended in tragedy when Grayson opened fire multiple times, killing Massey in her own kitchen.
Law enforcement officials initially delayed disclosing the details surrounding Massey’s violent death, which led to confusion among family members about how she actually died.
Massey’s relatives were finally allowed to review the bodycam footage more than a week after the shooting and several days before it was released publicly, but Massey’s father said he initially believed that a burglar had killed his daughter — highlighting the apparent lack of transparency by investigators.
A grand jury indicted Grayson on July 17, charging him with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
The Illinois State Police conducted the investigation, and the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office also opened a probe, each finding that Grayson’s use of deadly force was not justified.
The case garnered national attention and even prompted a statement from the White House condemning police violence against people of color.
On the night of the shooting, Grayson and another deputy responded to a call for help at Massey’s home.
The second deputy activated his body-worn camera upon arrival, but Grayson did not turn his on until after he shot Massey, who seemed to be experiencing a mental health episode.
The video begins with the officers arriving at the residence and speaking with Massey for several minutes at the front door before proceeding inside to check Massey’s identification, though it’s not clear why, considering officers had been called to the home in response to a potential prowler.
The climax of the footage shows Grayson ordering Massey to move a whistling pot of hot water from the stove to an open counter in the kitchen.
A moment later, Grayson stated that he was nervous about the “hot steaming water” on the stove before drawing his weapon on Massey, who was standing at least 15 feet away with no clear path toward Grayson.
“I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” the woman began chanting, but she made no sudden moves as Grayson began shouting “aggressively” at Massey, even though she was standing still and not approaching the escalating officer.
“You better not, I swear to God I’ll f—king shoot you right in the f—king face,” Grayson warned the woman, his voice echoing off the walls of the small home.
In a split second, Grayson drew his 9 mm pistol at Massey from across the room, yelling, “Drop the f—king pot!”
Terrified, Massey instinctively put her hands up but was still holding the pot, saying, “I’m sorry,” as she ducked for cover.
Grayson kept his gun trained on the woman, still yelling, “Drop the f—king pot!”
As Massey peeked over the counter, Grayson opened fire, three shots blaring from his gun, with at least one bullet hitting Massey in the face.
Grayson claimed he was in fear for his life, telling first responders, “She had boiling water and came at me with boiling water. … She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus and came at me with boiling water.”
