First-hand knowledge of the murder case of the Illinois Sheriff’s Deputy who killed Sony Massey

Springfield, Ill.

Sean Grayson, 31, responding to a call about the suspect, who was kicked out of 36-year-old Massey’s Spingfield home early on July 6, 2024, after treating him the way he handled his hot stove.

Jurors will report on Monday and the trial could continue into next week.

Massey’s killing raised new questions about the US law’s right to shoot people who follow them in their own homes and prompted a change in Illinois law that requires ease of execution.

Here’s what you need to know about the charges.

Destruction of the case due to national attention

In addition to first-degree murder, Grayson is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded guilty.

The widespread attention to Grayson’s shooting of Massey led the Sangamon County Circuit RadAgin to move the trial from Skyfield, 322 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. There will be bitterness in place from Peoria and surrounding areas, an hour’s drive north, and we will hear this case in the court of law.

Grayon, who is white, faces up to 45 years to life in prison if convicted of first degree murder.

The body of the body camera shows the shooting

After Grayson and another Deputy checked the area around Massey’s house, body camera video shows Grayson at his door to report that he found nothing suspicious. He entered the house to get details of the report, saw a pan on the stove and ordered its removal. Massey took it.

He asked Grayon why he had gone back; He said he tries to avoid “hot, smelly water.” Massey replied, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson wrote in a report of the incident, “I’m telling you that you’re going to kill me.”

According to the body camera video, Grayson pulled his 9 mm handgun and yelled at Massey to drop the jar. He apologized and put the pan down and was smeared behind the counter, but in the confusion, as grayson shouted, it turns out that he got it again. Grayson was fired three times, hitting Massey once under the left eye.

Massey’s family once sought mental health care

Massey, a single mother of two teenagers with a strong religious faith, struggled with mental health issues. When he answered Grayson’s minutes that he had just knocked before the shooting, he said, “Don’t hurt me,” and then, when Grayon asked him if he was ahead, he said to him, “Speak to God.”

Earlier that week, Sonya Massey agreed to a 30-day health program at St. Louis but returned two days later without explanation.

County records show that in the days leading up to the shooting, three 911 calls were made by or on behalf of Massey. In another, her mother, Donna Massey, told authorities her daughter was suffering from a “mental breakdown.” Donna Massey also told the dispatcher, “I don’t want you guys to hurt her.”

Grayson didn’t know about the calls or Massey’s background. County officials have since said there is no practical way to determine and communicate that information to emergency responders.

Vice’s history inspired Illinois reform

Grayson was arrested 11 days after killing Massey and shooting at the Sheriff’s Department.

With his background checked, Massey’s family and others questioned why Godamon, who had been a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy for 14 months, was hired at all.

In his early 20s, he was caught up in a drunk-driving arrest squad when he had a weapon in his car. He was convicted of DUI within a year.

Before joining the Sangamon County Sheriff’s department, Grayson had four cool jobs in six years – three of which were temporary.

There was no indication Grayson had been fired from any job, but previous employer reviews documented concerns about him. Another department reported that while Grayson worked hard and had a good attitude, he struggled with writing reports, “he wasn’t big on evidence – things were left around the position” and he was ‘stumbling.’

Jack Campbell, the Sangamon County Sheriff, was forced to retire six weeks after the shooting. He insisted that he did not find Grayson’s issues to be suitable for him to work with the deputy.

Federal law enforcement officials confirmed that Grayson had served in each of the previous jobs, but Campbell required him to attend a police training course for 16 officers.

In August, Illinois Gov. Pritzker signed a law that requires police officers to hold events that allow the release of all personal background records with any law enforcement agency considering hiring them. Legal sponsors of the measure agreed that it does not bar candidates from vetted recruitment methods but provides greater transparency.