Jury deliberations begin in Sonya Massey murder trial

CHICAGO — Closing arguments have concluded Tuesday in the murder trial of former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death of Sonya Massey.

The trial is now in the hands of the jury who have begun deliberations.

In July 2024, a 911 call led to Grayson and his partner responding to the home of Massey, who believed someone was trying to break inside. The call for help turned deadly during a confrontation over her handling of a pot of hot water. 

Neither side disputes Grayson pulled the trigger, but the case centers around whether it was justified.  

Grayson took the stand in his own defense Monday where he says he felt Massey may have been under the influence of something. He conceded that he failed to turn on his body camera, unlike his partner who turned it on upon arrival.

On the stand, Grayson said he reacted to a threat saying, “then she picked up the pot and walked towards me. I wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do. She put on oven mitts, which made me believe she knew the pot was very hot.”

“I took it as a threat. It raises a lot of concern for me, and i believed she was going to throw the water.” 

The former deputy testified he did not believe a Taser would have worked. The defense rested their case after four witnesses took the stand. The prosecution did not call any rebuttal witnesses.

During the trial, prosecutors argued Grayson violated several Sangamon County Sheriff Office’s policies, including not turning on his body camera, two for personal conduct, and for improper use of force.

After the jury was sent home Monday, the prosecution and defense met to discuss jury instructions. One key instruction the judge is allowing will be for the jury to consider convicting Grayson of second-degree murder, a less-severe felony that would be punishable by four to 20 years in prison, far less than the minimum 45 years of first-degree murder, based on the way prosecutors charged the case.