Sean Grayson Found Guilty Of Murder In The Death Of Sonya Massey

Sean Grayson, a erstwhile Illinois sheriff’s deputy, was convicted Wednesday of second-degree execution successful nan 2024 decease of Sonya Massey, a Black mother of 2 who had called 911 astir a imaginable prowler.

Grayson was charged pinch first-degree murder, but assemblage instructions included nan action to convict him of nan lesser complaint of second-degree murder.

Former national charismatic Mark Chutkow said nan defense made a "strategic decision" to see nan second-degree execution charge.

"The prosecution apt felt assured astir their lawsuit and was consenting to spell for an all-or-nothing verdict. But nan defense did not want to return that chance, so they advocated for a lesser included charge," he told NBC News.

Grayson faces 4 to 20 years successful situation for second-degree murder. Under authorities law, he would apt beryllium eligible to get day-for-day in installments for bully behaviour successful prison, meaning he could extremity up serving only half his sentence.

Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser during his closing arguments tells nan assemblage “here is this elephantine vulnerable pot” that Massey was holding earlier she was changeable successful her ain kitchen.Cliff Questel

Grayson was charged successful July 2024 successful nan fatal shooting of Massey, who had called authorities complete concerns astir nan imaginable prowler extracurricular her Springfield home. Body camera video shows nan moments she was changeable and killed successful her room during a confrontation complete a cookware of boiling water.

Her decease led to calls for justice, protests crossed nan state and reignited scrutiny astir rule enforcement shootings of Black group successful their homes. Grayson is white.

Sonya Massey.Courtesy Ruby Funeral Services

Last week, Grayson's erstwhile partner, Deputy Dawson Farley, testified that he was not frightened by immoderate of Massey’s actions. He said he drew his limb because he was "trying to backmost my partner."

In closing arguments, nan defense pointed retired that Farley amended his constabulary study aft Grayson was charged pinch first-degree murder, arguing Farley lied and changed his account.

The body camera footage cardinal to this lawsuit was played successful nan courtroom 3 times, showing Massey talking to nan deputies and removing a cookware of basking h2o from her stove soon earlier nan shooting.

On Monday, Grayson took nan guidelines successful his ain defense, telling nan tribunal that he believed Massey was going to propulsion nan boiling h2o connected him aft she said, "I rebuke you successful nan sanction of Jesus."

Sonya Massey and then-Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson extracurricular her location successful Springfield, Ill., connected Jul. 6, 2024. Illinois State Police / AP

He testified that he took her remark arsenic a threat, and that's why he drew his firearm. Grayson said he did not effort to usage his stun weapon because he wasn't judge if it would activity because of her clothing.

"I didn’t want to return nan chance of nan Taser malfunctioning," he said. "The Taser doesn’t activity connected everybody."

Sangamon County First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers gives her closing arguments to nan jury. She told jurors that Sean Grayson was angry he couldn’t power nan business starring up to nan shooting, arguing it happened “not because Sonya [Massey] was successful crisis— it’s because he snapped.”Cliff Questel

In closing arguments Tuesday, First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers said Massey made nary abrupt movements and complied "peacefully" to driblet nan cookware of water.

"'I’m sorry.' That is nan past point Sonya Massey said earlier nan suspect murdered her, conscionable for illustration he said he would," she told nan jury.

"He wants you to judge he was scared, but you don’t person to judge that because it’s not true," Rodgers said.

Rodgers based on that Grayson does not get to declare self-defense justified his shooting because he provoked nan usage of unit against himself.

Defense lawyer Daniel Fultz makes his closing arguments to nan jury, telling them it was Sonya Massey who escalated nan business starring up to her shooting and Sean Grayson drew his limb successful bid to summation her compliance.Cliff Questel

Daniel Fultz, Grayson’s attorney, said Massey did initially comply and put nan cookware down, but "she escalated nan business erstwhile she picked nan cookware backmost up, stood up, raised it complete her caput and began to propulsion it."

He based on that Grayson drew his limb to summation Massey's compliance and said her decease "was a tragedy, but it was not a crime."

"You are not present to determine whether aliases not Sean Grayson followed each azygous policy, each nationalist champion practice, each policing rule that experts judge he should person followed," he said successful his closing argument. "That is not what we are doing successful this criminal tribunal today."

Fultz said that Grayson believed his pistol was his only option, and highlighted master grounds that Grayson had to beforehand toward Massey to support a statement of show connected her.

Fultz asked nan assemblage not to fto their emotions dictate nan result of this case.

In Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser's last closing statement to nan jury, he based on that it was Grayson who fto his emotions dictate what happened successful Massey's kitchen.

"These were not nan actions of a frightened young constabulary serviceman doing a vulnerable job. These are nan actions of a bully," Milhiser said. “If anyone was successful crisis, it was him. He snapped.”