Sean Grayson on trial

Demonstrators have gathered again outside the Peoria County courthouse as they wait for the jury to return a verdict.

Jury deliberations are scheduled to resume at 9 a.m. Oct. 29 in the murder trial of former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson.

The jury of nine women and three men deliberated for about 6½ hours on Oct. 28, the seventh day of Grayson’s trial, before pausing for the night. When deliberations began shortly after 11:30 a.m. Oct. 28, the jury decided to rewatch video footage from police-worn body cameras depicting Grayson fatally shooting Woodside Township resident Sonya Massey inside her home on July 6, 2024.

In the late afternoon Oct. 28, Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin said in court, with the jury not present, that the jury requested information discussed during the trial. Some documents and other items were introduced into evidence and were given to the jury, and some requests were denied because certain items were discussed in testimony but not entered into the record as exhibits, Cadagin said.

The judge disclosed that the jury asked him a question about two different instructions he gave jurors regarding legal and illegal use of force by police officers. After conferring with prosecutors and defense attorneys, Cadagin said he decided to tell the jury to consider the instructions separately and not to consider one instruction as a continuation of the other.

The jury is weighing whether to convict or acquit Grayson of first-degree murder charges in the death of Massey, 36, a single mother of two teenagers who was dealing with mental-health issues. The jury also has been given the option to convict Grayson of the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

Grayson is charged with using his on-duty weapon to shoot Massey to death inside her home in the “Cabbage Patch” neighborhood just south of Springfield’s east side. He is claiming he acted in self-defense to avoid being scalded by a pot of hot water Massey had raised over her head and began to throw in Grayson’s direction.

Cadagin gave the nine women and three men of the jury the second-degree murder option before they began deliberations. Grayson and Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser both agreed to offer the potential alternative.

The jury was chosen from Peoria County residents, and the trial is being held at the Peoria County courthouse. The trial was moved there because of extensive pretrial publicity in Sangamon County.

The jury could find Grayson guilty of second-degree murder if they decide he mistakenly believed he was justified in shooting and killing Massey in self-defense.

If convicted of first-degree murder in the case, Grayson could face a mandatory prison sentence of 45 years to life. Second-degree murder charges carry a potential prison sentence of four to 20 years, with the possibility of a 50% reduction in time served with good behavior.

A second-degree murder conviction also would give Cadagin the option of sentencing Grayson to probation and no prison time.

Grayson, 31, a Riverton resident who had pleaded not guilty, has been incarcerated and denied pretrial release since his arrest about 10 days after the incident.

Grayson was hired as a Sangamon County deputy in May 2023 and was dispatched to Massey’s home after Massey called 911 when she suspected a prowler in her neighborhood.

The early morning incident on July 6, 2024, ended with Grayson shooting at Massey three times, with one bullet striking her below the left eye and severing her left carotid artery. Grayson pleaded not guilty and contended that he was acting in self-defense when Massey picked up a pot of water that had been boiling on her stove and eventually raised the pot above her head and tried to throw the water at him.

The jury has been given instructions by the judge and has started deliberating. A small group of people continues to demonstrate outside the courthouse.

After seven days, closing arguments are beginning this morning. The jury began deliberations at about 11:40 a.m. Demonstrators have gathered outside the Peoria County courthouse.

The Sean Grayson who decided to take the stand Oct. 27 in his own defense against murder charges in the death of Sonya Massey was a kinder, gentler person than the one depicted on police-worn camera video inside Massey’s home in July 2024.

This one was calm, didn’t use profanity and methodically answered questions from his attorney about key parts of his sometimes-tense interaction with the much smaller Massey, 36. The incident culminated with Grayson shooting Massey in the head in what Grayson described was self-defense against someone who didn’t, or wouldn’t, obey all his commands.

Closing arguments on the seventh day of the trial in the racially charged case were expected to begin the morning of Oct. 28. The jury is expected to begin deliberations by noon.

The trial was moved to a Peoria courtroom, with a jury of nine women and three men, all from Peoria County, because of extensive pretrial publicity in Sangamon County. Illinois Times previously reported the jury consisted of eight women and four men because of confusion regarding which jurors seated in and next to the jury box were alternates who wouldn’t participate in deliberations.

Grayson, 31, a Riverton resident and white former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy charged with three counts of first-degree murder, had a beard and mustache, and was at least 20 to 30 pounds heavier, when he knocked loudly on Massey’s door around 1 a.m. July 6, 2024. Massey had called 911 to summon police when she thought there was a prowler outside.

Grayson, weighing about 230 pounds, was accompanied by another deputy, Dawson Farley, when they were dispatched to Massey’s home in the “Cabbage Patch” neighborhood in unincorporated Woodside Township, just south of Springfield’s east side.

Massey, a Black single mother of two teenagers who weren’t at her home at the time, weighed about 110 pounds.

The investigation into Massey’s death revealed she was dealing with mental illness, and that her sometimes vague and halting answers to basic questions could have been related to paranoia and schizophrenia, though Grayson didn’t know that at the time.

Experts for the prosecution previously testified that he failed to pick up on several obvious clues that should have made him deal with Massey differently, and with more patience.

Grayson wasn’t wearing glasses in Massey’s home, as he did in the courtroom. On the stand, dressed in a dark suit, white shirt and a tie, a clean-shaven Grayson testified about key points in the interaction.

There wasn’t any big confrontation between him and Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser when Milhiser had his first and only chance to contradict Grayson’s account on cross-examination.

One new detail came out on the stand: Grayson testified that, in the final seconds before the shooting, he approached Massey after she had put down a pot of boiling-hot water and ducked behind a counter in her Woodside Township home so he could put her in handcuffs and arrest her for threatening him. Massey had carried the pot with oven mitts to her sink after the deputies asked her to turn off the burner to avoid starting a fire.

Grayson never before mentioned his intention to use handcuffs, which, in the end, he never had a chance to use.

He said he approached Massey to apply the handcuffs rather than stand his ground or step back. Experts testifying for the prosecution have said approaching Massey was an unsound tactic that escalated the situation into the tragedy that happened later.

Grayson testified that he also approached Massey when she knelt to the ground behind the counter to make sure she didn’t retrieve a gun or other weapon from the ground. No gun was ever found.

Grayson said Massey then jumped up, grabbed the pot of water she had originally removed from her stove, and held the pot of water over her head. Grayson said he then used the gun that he had pulled to shoot at Massey.

One of the three shots he fired struck her in the face below her left eye, severing one of her carotid arteries and causing her to bleed to death.

Dan Fultz, one of Grayson’s defense attorneys, called Grayson to the stand to testify about limited aspects of the incident.

Speaking for slightly more than a half-hour, Grayson wasn’t asked by his attorney about the derogatory statements he made about Massey in the minutes after the shooting. Grayson wasn’t asked about his statements that he decided not to give first aid to Massey, as Farley offered to do, because Grayson thought such aid would be pointless.

The Sangamon County Coroner’s Office’s forensic pathologist previously testified that it’s possible Massey could have survived if she had received medical attention earlier.

Dr. Nathaniel Patterson said on the stand that Massey probably would have needed swift attention from a surgeon to stop her from bleeding to death.

Milhiser, on cross-examination, noted that Grayson never mentioned in his report on the incident that he wanted to handcuff Massey and arrest her for alleged aggravated battery of a police officer related to what he perceived as her threat to throw the pot of water.

Milhiser also noted that Grayson didn’t mention in his report that he used profanity several times in ordering Massey the first time to put down the pot.

On questioning from one of his defense attorneys, Dan Fultz, Grayson explained the omissions by saying the report was just a summary of the incident and that he knew his precise comments would be contained on police-worn camera footage being captured by the camera worn by Farley, the other deputy.

According to Grayson, Massey said, “Please don’t hurt me,” and “Oh Lord, please help me,” when she answered the door. He agreed with his attorney in describing Massey’s answers to basic questions as “a bit scatter-brained.”

But Grayson said he thought Massey was intoxicated, rather than mentally ill, when he began to talk with her. He said most of the previous calls to the neighborhood that he had handled before this involved intoxicated people.

Grayson said he didn’t use a Taser, rather than a gun, to subdue Massey because he had an older model Taser and couldn’t be sure that the prongs administering an electrical charge would penetrate through the nightgown she was wearing.

“The Taser doesn’t work on everybody,” he said, adding that he thought shooting Masssey was the best option “to stop the threat.”

Another deputy who arrived at the scene after the shooting, Jason Eccleston, was called to testify by the defense and said he was with Grayson for four or five hours after the shooting. Eccleston said Grayson was “panicked,” breathing heavy and pacing back and forth when Eccleston first encountered the deputy.

Grayson also was “sobbing,” according to Eccleston, though First Assistant State’s Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers noted that Grayson’s alleged crying wasn’t captured on Eccleston’s body-worn camera footage.

Experts on police use of force who testified earlier in the trial, at the request of prosecutors, said Grayson made many tactical errors that led up to the shooting. Those experts said he unnecessarily escalated the situation and put himself in a situation in which he felt he had to defend himself with lethal force.

Those experts were portrayed by the defense attorneys, on cross-examination, as either self-promoting, distant from everyday stresses on police officers, too willing to second-guess police who have to make split-second decisions or unfamiliar with the sheriff’s department’s policy on the use of deadly force.

Experts called by the defense, on the other hand, testified Oct. 27 that Grayson didn’t escalate the situation or make tactical errors. Rather, they said Massey ended up the aggressor when she picked up the pot a second time and began to throw its water at Grayson when he was forced to shoot her to protect himself.

The defense experts, as well as the prosecution’s experts, said in their testimony that the naked eye couldn’t see Massey lifting the pot and beginning to throw it in the bodycam video when the video was played at regular speed.

But with the video recording 30 frames per second, individual frames taken in those fractions of a second do show Massey holding up the pot, both defense experts and one of the prosecution experts said.

The prosecution experts, however, faulted Grayson for not avoiding that situation and upsetting Massey. Defense experts said what led up to Massey raising the pot didn’t matter when it came to Grayson’s responsibility for Massey’s death.

“The use of force at that time was appropriate,” testified Glyn Corbitt, a veteran former Georgia police officer who currently is an internal affairs sergeant with the Coweta County, Georgia, Sheriff’s Office.

It’s important to take an objective point of view when evaluating an officer’s conduct and realize that the officer may not have been aware of all of the factors at play in real time, Corbitt testified.

“You have to put yourself in his or her shoes,” he said.

Corbitt’s view of deescalation was different from the experts called by the prosecution. Deescalation, according to Corbitt, is the end result of techniques such as communication.

On cross-examination, he said use of lethal force can be an unfortunate, but successful deescalation to avoid harm to a police officer.

Another expert on police use of force called by the defense, Kevin R. Davis of New Franklin, Ohio, testified that Grayson’s actions conformed with “generally accepted police practices,” and that his use of lethal force was warranted.

Davis said his written report on the incident honed in on the potential threat of the pot of hot water to Grayson, and not on the ways Grayson could have, but didn’t, deescalate the situation.

“We’re not doing a deescalation investigation,” Davis said. “We’re doing a use-of-force investigation.”

Davis said the notion that police officers can create a situation that puts a member of the public in jeopardy when police respond to a call is “not widely accepted” in law enforcement. The notion is based in academia, not in on-the-street police work, he said.
On cross-examination, Milhiser read sections from Davis’ report and from his blog on the internet that made Davis appear biased in favor of police in general and Grayson in particular. Davis disagreed.

Milhiser said Davis wrote that Massey “attacked” Grayson and grabbed the pot as she “readied her weapon delivery system.” Davis also described Grayson in his report as “an officer under attack.”

Milhiser told Davis, “That sounds really bad. It is really good that we have the video of the incident.”

Though Milhiser didn’t contradict the isolated video images in Davis’ report showing Massey holding the pot over her head immediately before the shooting, Milhiser said Davis didn’t include any images of Massey holding up her hands, putting down the pot and saying, “I’m sorry” when she complied with Grayson’s initial orders.

Here is a list of potential witnesses Sean Grayson’s defense attorneys plan to call.

Former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson testified Oct. 27 that he approached Sonya Massey after she had put down a pot of hot water and ducked behind a counter in her Woodside Township home to attempt to put her in handcuffs and arrest her for threatening him.

Grayson, 31, who is on trial for first-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Massey on July 6, 2025, never before said publicly that he approached Massey to apply handcuffs rather than stand his ground or step back. Experts testifying for the prosecution have said approaching Massey was an unsound tactic that escalated the situation into the tragedy that happened later.

Grayson testified that he also approached Massey when she knelt to the ground behind the counter to make sure she didn’t retrieve a gun or other weapon from the ground.

Grayson said Massey then jumped up, grabbed the pot of water she had originally removed from her stove, and held the pot of water over her head. Grayson said he then used the gun that he had pulled to shoot at Massey. One of the three shots he fired struck her in the face below her left eye, severing one of her carotid arteries and causing her to bleed to death.

Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser, on cross-examination, noted that Grayson never mentioned in his report on the incident that he wanted to handcuff Massey and arrest her for alleged aggravated battery of a police officer related to what he perceived as her threat to throw the pot of water. Milhiser also noted that Grayson didn’t mention in his report that he used profanity several times in ordering Massey the first time to put down the pot.

On questioning from one of his defense attorneys, Dan Fultz, Grayson explained the omissions by saying the report was just a summary of the incident and that he knew his precise comments would be contained on police-worn camera footage being captured by the camera worn by another deputy responding to the Massey home, deputy Dawson Farley.

Members and supporters of the late Sonya Massey’s extended family said Oct. 24 that they remain convinced Sean Grayson is guilty of first-degree murder, and not any lesser charges that a jury may consider at the conclusion of Grayson’s murder trial in a few days.

“We can talk around the subject and figure out the reason something happened, but the video shows it clearly,” Sonya Massey’s cousin, Sontae Massey, 54, told reporters at the end of trial proceedings for the day.

“Sometimes a thing is what a thing is,” Massey said.

He said Grayson, 31, a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, “was the aggressor, and he shot her in the face like he said he would.”

That fact that individual frames taken from police-worn camera video show Sonya Massey holding up a pot of water and trying to hurl it in Grayson’s direction at the culmination of a tense interchange between her and Grayson inside her home doesn’t alter Grayson’s culpability for Massey’s death, Sontae Massey said.

No one knows what was going on in Sonya’s mind when she responded to Grayson pointing his gun at her, yelling at her and using obscenities, Sontae Massey said.

A first-degree murder conviction still is justified, he said.

“If that was Sontae Grayson or if that was Sheniqua Grayson, guess what, they would have got first-degree murder.” Sontae Massey said. “What’s the difference?”

Massey’s death has sparked outcries from the public about alleged unequal treatment based on race. Massey was Black and Grayson is white.

When asked his reaction to the fact that only one Black person, a man, was selected for Grayson’s 12-person jury, Sontae Massey said, “I won’t delve into that. They picked who they picked. Justice is justice, no matter where or who delivers it.”

Sontae Massey said he and other relatives of Sonya have taken shifts on different days of the trial to make sure members of the large, extended family from Springfield are present in the Peoria courtroom at all times.

“It’s tough, but we’ve just got to get to the finish line,” he said. “It’s no secret that the Masseys are a super-tight family. We know that the love of our family is going to get us through anything, and that’s what we rely on. We have fun when we can, and we cry when we do, and we just get through it as a family.”

Springfield resident and community activist Teresa Haley, a friend of the Massey family, said, “I personally think it’s unfortunate because it’s supposed to be a jury of our peers. I had hoped to see a few more” Black jurors.

“We want a jury that’s going to be open, that’s going to be honest, and that’s going to do the right thing,” Haley said. “We keep saying, ‘No justice, no peace,’ and a lot of times it’s just us, but we know that there are more than Black people who are rooting for this family, and they want justice for Sonya Massey. So to me, it really doesn’t matter in the end how the jury pool looks as long as they make the right decision and do the right thing for the right reason.”

Members of Grayson’s family attending the trial have declined comment.

The jury in Grayson’s trial could begin deliberations on Oct. 29.

Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser said in court Oct. 24 that the prosecution plans to rest its case the morning of Oct. 27. Grayson’s lawyers would begin to present their defense after that.

Closing arguments by the prosecution and defense are expected the morning of Oct. 29.

Sonya Massey’s last act, holding up a pot of hot water and appearing to try to throw the water or the pot in the direction of former Sangamon County deputy sheriff Sean Grayson, could have posed an “imminent threat” to Grayson, an expert on police tactics and use of force testified Oct. 24.

But University of South Carolina law professor and former police officer Seth Stoughton said Grayson’s multiple errors in his dealings with Massey led to the fatal shooting of Massey in July 2024.

Making a judgment based on the “final frame” of police-worn camera video of the incident inside Massey’s unincorporated Woodside Township home “misses everything that happened that led up to that moment,” Stoughton told the jury of eight women and four men in Grayson’s jury trial for first-degree murder.

Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin of Sangamon County Circuit Court overruled an objection from Grayson defense attorney Dan Fultz about Stoughton’s testimony. Outside the presence of the jury, Fultz argued that the testimony would confuse jurors.

Fultz said jurors would hear Stoughton’s opinion that Grayson’s actions failed to comply with “generally accepted” police practices nationwide even though Stoughton hadn’t reviewed the Sangamon County sheriff’s department policies on use of force in general and use of deadly force in particular.

Fultz said Stoughton didn’t know the extent to which the generally accepted practices on police tactics Stoughton was describing were contained in the Sangamon County policies Grayson was trained to uphold.

Cadagin told defense attorneys they could overcome that problem by pointing out Stoughton’s lack of knowledge of Sangamon County policies when they cross-examined Stoughton in front of the jury. As expected, Mark Wykoff, Grayson’s other defense attorney, pointed out the concern on cross-examination.

After reviewing the bodycam footage from Grayson and his partner, Deputy Dawson Farley, Stoughton faulted Grayson for reducing the distance for himself and Massey in the tense verbal exchange that preceded the shooting.

Stoughton also said Grayson should have altered his actions more, and been less aggressive toward Massey, when she exhibited many obvious signs of being in “mental distress.”

Stoughton commended Farley’s conduct for backing away when Massey heeded the officers’ concerns about a pot of boiling water on Massey’s stove. That action reduced the possible risk of injury to Farley, Stoughton said.

Grayson stepped closer to Massey when she set the pot of water on a counter near her kitchen after he commanded her to do so and drew his gun. When she then ducked down behind a counter, Grayson wrote in his report on the incident that he drew closer “to keep a visual on Sonya to ensure she did not grab any other weapon.”

Grayson apparently viewed the pot as a weapon.

Stoughton said Grayson’s tactics weren’t appropriate or acceptable based on national norms for police conduct.

On cross-examination, Wykoff questioned the credibility of Stoughton’s written report on the appropriateness of Grayson’s conduct. Wykoff also noted that Stoughton, as a former police officer in Tallahassee, Florida, never was directly involved in a police-involved shooting or an investigation of such an incident.

Wykoff got Stoughton to say that several of the conclusions he reached about what he considered unacceptable conduct by Grayson were based on an academic textbook that Stoughton helped to write.

But Stoughton testified that all of his conclusions were based on his years of research into police tactics, studies conducted by other scholars and recommendations from law-enforcement organizations.

Stoughton said it’s possible for police officers to make tactical mistakes involving the use of force, and they don’t have to wait until someone points a gun at them before they are justified in using deadly force to save themselves from injury or death.

What’s important for authorities evaluating such incidents, he said, is to determine whether any such mistakes were “reasonable.”

“We don’t require perfection, as long as they acted professionally,” Stoughton said.

Wykoff read to Stoughton some parts of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department’s policy on the use of deadly force. Wykoff said Grayson followed the policy by warning Massey that he would shoot her if she didn’t drop the pot of hot water.

Stoughton said the parts of the policy Wykoff read did align with generally accepted policing practices. Stoughton agreed with Wykoff that a frame-by-frame analysis of the final fractions of a second before the shooting did show Massey rising from a crouched position, grabbing the pot, raising it to her right shoulder and starting to throw the pot in Grayson’s direction as Grayson began shooting.

Milhiser contended that Massey raised the pot up “to defend herself.” Wykoff disagreed.

Stoughton said the end of Grayson’s interaction with Massey could have justified Grayson’s response if viewed in isolation.

Grayson’s lawyers have said Grayson pleaded not guilty because he believed he was acting in self-defense.

But Stoughton said, “We’re not looking at the totality of the circumstances.”

He said it’s important to consider “the entire series of events” and added that Grayson’s decision to approach Massey with his gun drawn was “tactically unsound.”

Sean Grayson disregarded obvious signs of a person in mental distress and needlessly escalated a situation he had been trained as a police officer to diffuse when he shot and killed Sonya Massey in her Woodside Township home in July 2024, an expert on police tactics testified Oct. 23 in Grayson’s first-degree murder trial in Peoria.

Rather than backing up, talking softly and asking open-ended questions, former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Grayson, 31, used a forceful tone of voice, commands and profanity that made Massey fearful and led to a tragic outcome, according to Louis Dekmar, a former LaGrange, Georgia, police chief with almost 50 years of law-enforcement experience.

Dekmar testified as part of Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser’s case against Grayson. The jury trial of Grayson, a Riverton resident, was moved to Peoria County because of extensive pretrial publicity in the Springfield area.

Dekmar said Grayson’s conduct, which was contrary to his training and a violation of sheriff’s departments policies on use of force and ways of dealing with mentally ill people, made it understandable for Massey, 36, to told hold a pot of hot water in front of her to protect herself when Grayson drew his gun seconds before the shooting.

“He collapsed the distance between him and Miss Massey and placed himself in what he considered jeopardy,” Dekmar said, adding that Massey didn’t pose a “credible threat” that justified the use of deadly force.

However, Mark Wykoff, one of Grayson’s defense attorneys, who questioned Dekmar’s status as an expert, said while cross-examining Dekmar that Grayson warned Massey to drop the pot or he would shoot.

Wykoff said Grayson had reason to fear imminent risk of harm or death in the situation even though police were called to Massey’s home when Massey called 911 to report what she suspected was a prowler in her neighborhood.

It’s not obvious on video from bodycams worn by Grayson and another deputy, Dawson Farley, but Wykoff told Dekmar that Illinois State Police have isolated seven frames from video footage that show Massey “actively engaged” in tossing the hot water in Grayson and Farley’s direction right before Grayson’s three shots at Massey.

Those frames haven’t been discussed in detail yet during the trial.

In theory, Dekmar said Massey’s action could have placed Grayson and Farley at risk of harm if the video frames depicted the situation Wykoff described. But Dekmar said viewing those frames wouldn’t have changed his conclusion that Grayson was at fault for acting contrary to his training and sheriff’s department policy.

“You have to look at the policy in total,” Dekmar said, adding that Grayson’s lack of “tactical patience” proved fatal for Massey.

On the bodycam footage, Grayson’s demeanor seemed to change from calm to upset after Massey said twice, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” The situation escalated seconds after that and culminated with Grayson shooting at Massey.

Grayson wrote in his report on the incident that he interpreted Massey’s “rebuke” statement as meaning “she was going to kill me.”

After the shooting, when other police officers arrived at the scene, Grayson told one of them that Massey “came at me” with a “pot of boiling water.” And Grayson tells the officer, “She said she was going to rebuke me in the name of Jesus.”

The dictionary definition of “rebuke” means to express strong disapproval or criticism of someone because of his or her behavior.

At the time Grayson was hired by the sheriff’s department in 2023, the department required him to go through a psychological examination. Such an exam was required for new hires.

The results of Grayson’s exam said he “scored low on the cognitive assessment.” The supervising psychologist, Thomas Campion of Campion, Barrow & Associates, wrote of Grayson, “It will take him longer to learn, process and apply new material when compared to others.”

Capion also wrote that Grayson was “calm and easy-going during the interview. He gave good eye contact, and he displayed appropriate social skills. His testing indicated a desire to appear well. He is fairly rigid and linear in his thinking. He likes structure and routines. He likes his expectations clearly defined. He knows he can move too fast at times. He needs to slow down to make good decisions.”

The psychologist wrote, “He has training and experiences that can assist him in the new position. Overall, he appears to be a suitable fit for the position.”

Earlier in the day on Oct. 23, Dr. Nathaniel Patterson, a forensic pathologist for the Sangamon County Coroner’s Office, testified that Massey bled to death after the shooting because the bullet from Grayson’s gun that hit her entered just below her left eye and severed her left carotid artery before exiting through her neck.

Patterson also testified, when questioned by Wykoff, that Massey tested positive for marijuana and gabapentin, a prescription drug used to treat seizures and restless leg syndrome, in a blood sample taken after her death. But he didn’t testify what role, if any, that those substances may have played in the case.

The trial, which will continue Oct. 24 and is expected to last several more days, will continue with a jury of eight women and four men.

Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin of Sangamon County Circuit Court announced Oct. 23 that one of the original female jurors had a “personal emergency” unrelated to the case the night before and was replaced by one of the three alternate jurors. The new juror is a single man with no children who works for a Peoria construction contracting company.

Grayson faces three counts of first-degree murder. Each count charges him with the murder of Massey but cites different legal language. At the start of the trial, prosecutors dropped two original charges – aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. Prosecutors didn’t give a reason for dropping those charges.

If convicted of first-degree murder, Grayson still faces a potential penalty of 45 years to life in prison.

Patrick Pfingsten interviews Dean Olsen regarding his impressions of the jury selection and opening arguments in the Sean Grayson trial.

Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Dawson Farley testified Oct. 22 that he feared fellow deputy Sean Grayson more than Sonya Massey in the moments before Grayson shot Massey in the face inside her Woodside Township home on July 6, 2024.

Farley and Grayson were dispatched separately to Massey’s home after she called 911 when she suspected a prowler outside her home in the Cabbage Patch neighborhood.

Farley, who pointed out Grayson from the stand in the courtroom but avoided eye contact with him, said Massey “never did or said anything to indicate she was a threat.”

Grayson contends he shot Massey in self-defense when she was holding a pot of hot water she had picked up from her stove. It’s unknown whether Grayson will take the stand later in the trial to try to avoid a conviction on first-degree murder charges that could send him to prison for 45 years to life.

Farley testified that he wrote in a July 9, 2024, report on the incident that he, too, feared injury from the hot water in the pot and drew his weapon right after Grayson did because of that fear. Farley also wrote in that July 2024 report that he saw Massey hold the pot at chest level before Grayson shot her.

Several weeks later, however, Farley testified, he contacted Illinois State Police, the agency investigating the incident, to “clarify” those details.

He said on the stand that, in reality, he didn’t fear Massey and instead feared the way Grayson was acting toward Massey in the minutes before the shooting.

Farley said he also told ISP he never saw Massey hold the pot at chest level.

Farley said he was going through trauma in the hours after the shooting and had “tunnel vision” that prevented him from clearly recalling what happened, even after watching bodycam video multiple times.

“I just wanted to do right by Sonya’s family and tell the truth,” Farley said.

On cross-examination, Grayson defense attorney Dan Fultz suggested that Farley, a new deputy to the department in July 2024, changed his story to avoid punishment on the job or being denied a permanent job after he completed probation.

Farley denied that was the case.

Grayson, wearing a dark suit and tie and sitting with his lawyers, stared intently at Farley during Farley’s testimony.

Many members of the audience cried and dabbed away tears as the jury in the Peoria County courtroom watched as unredacted body-worn camera video of the shooting of Sonya Massey was played in court the afternoon of Oct. 22.

Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, buried her head in her hands and sobbed for several minutes as the video recorded by Farley showed him cradling Sonya Massey’s head in a pool of blood as he tried to apply pressure with a cloth to stem the bleeding in a futile attempt to save Massey’s life.

Farley accompanied fellow deputy Grayson, who shot at Massey three times with his handgun, with one bullet hitting her in the face.

All of the jurors appeared to view the videos shot by Farley’s and Grayson’s body cameras intently, without showing emotion, except for the lone Black juror, a man, who looked down and away from the video during the several minutes when Farley’s video showed him trying to stem the bleeding from Massey’s head. Farley said on the video that Massey was still alive but was gasping for breath.

When other officers arrived at the scene, one could be heard asking Grayson if Massey had a gun that prompted Grayson’s reaction. Grayson replied that Massey had a pot of boiling water and “came at me” with it.

“I’m not taking fucking water to the fucking head,” Grayson told the other officer.

Even though it wasn’t clear to the naked eye in the courtroom, Grayson could be heard telling the officer that the water in Massey’s pot splashed in the direction of Grayson and Farley and “came to our feet.”

Grayson’s video also records him telling officers outside Massey’s house, “This fucking bitch is crazy” and “it happened so goddamn quick. … She set it up on purpose. … I didn’t have a fucking choice. … We barely got missed.”

Springfield resident Sontae Massey, one of Sonya Massey’s cousins, had his arm around Donna Massey as the videos played and accompanied Donna as she and several other family members left the courtroom to compose themselves for a few minutes before returning.

Sontae Massey said the family wouldn’t have any comment on the proceedings thus far but may comment as the trial continues.

As a witness for the prosecution, Illinois State Police Lt. Eric Weston, who led the ISP investigation into Sonya Massey’s death, testified about Sean Grayson’s frequent moves as an officer among different central Illinois departments during his first fewer than four years as a police officer before he was hired full time by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department.

On cross examination from Grayson defense attorney Mark Wykoff, Weston said it’s not uncommon for police officers to work at a string of smaller departments as they work their way up to a larger department. Activists and advocates for the Massey family have said since Massey’s death that Grayson’s frequent moves were one of the “red flags” that should have prompted former Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell not to hire Grayson.

Weston said Grayson began working part time in August 2020 for the Pawnee Police Department and continued working there until July 2021.

Grayson worked part time from the Kincaid Police Department from February 2021 to May 2021, with his time in Pawnee overlapping with Kincaid as he worked a variety of shifts.

After leaving the Kincaid department and while still working shifts for Pawnee, he began working for the Virden Police Department in May 2021 and continued there until December 2021.

While still working at Virden, he began full time duty in July 2021 for the Auburn Police Department and continued working there until May 2022, when he began full time as a Logan County sheriff’s deputy. Grayson’s work in Logan County continued until he began with Sangamon County, Weston said.

Grayson worked continuously as a police officer beginning in August 2020, without a period of unemployment.

Following the initial rally on Monday, a smaller but still passionate crowd gathered outside the courthouse to continue the Justice for Sonya Massey Rally.

Here is a list of potential witnesses Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser plans to call in the ongoing trial of Sean Grayson.

Sean Grayson was “lawfully discharging his weapon” when the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy shot and killed 36-year-old Sonya Massey in her Woodside Township home in July 2024, Grayson’s attorney said Oct. 22 in opening statements defending the Riverton resident against first-degree murder charges.

“What happened to Miss Massey was a tragedy, but it was not a crime,” attorney Dan Fultz told a jury of nine women and three men in a Peoria courtroom.

But Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser told jurors that Grayson, as will be shown on police-worn body camera video, shot and killed Massey “without lawful justification because he was mad at her.”

Milhiser noted that Grayson’s partner, another Sangamon County deputy who was not charged in the case, immediately turned on his bodycam video before the two entered Massey’s home after Massey called 911 when she suspected a prowler in the Cabbage Patch neighborhood, just outside the border of Springfield’s east side.

Grayson’s failure to turn on his bodycam right away was part of a pattern of Grayson violating procedures he was trained to follow, Milhiser said, adding that the pattern will be seen in other aspects of the case.

Fultz, however, said Grayson was justified in shooting Massey because she held up a pot of boiling water during an argument with him, and he feared death or severe injury when Massey lifted the pot above her head and prepared to hurl the water at him.

Opening arguments came after a mostly female, almost all-white jury was selected to decide the racially charged case of the white former deputy charged with murder of a Black woman.

The jury of nine women and three men, which includes one Black man, was selected Oct. 20 from among Peoria County residents. Two men and one woman, all white, are serving as alternate jurors. The trial was moved because of extensive pretrial publicity in the Springfield area.

Racial slurs are not part of the case against Grayson, but public outcries about his rough language and statements during and immediately after the incident, and his apparent lack of empathy amid Massey’s mental-health challenges, have elevated Massey’s death in the Black Lives Matter movement. The case has become part of the national conversation about deaths of Black people at the hands of white police officers.

Grayson, who has pleaded not guilty and been incarcerated since his arrest, contended he feared for his safety and acted in self-defense against the unarmed Massey despite the size difference. He is 6 feet 3 inches tall and weighed about 230 pounds at the time. Massey was 5 feet 1 inch tall and weighed 110 pounds.

The reasons for dismissing some juror candidates and selecting others for Grayson’s trial weren’t discussed in front of the jury and the public, as is common in Sangamon County, and weren’t immediately available in court records.

Black people make up more than 17% of Peoria County’s population, compared with almost 13% in Sangamon County.

Across the country, Black people tend to be underrepresented on juries, often because of racial bias, according to the Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit legal advocacy group based in Montgomery, Alabama.

The group says Blacks are more likely than whites to be removed as potential jurors during the selection process as lawyers for both sides use a certain number of what are known as “peremptory” strikes to remove people as candidates without having to cite a specific reason.

During jury selection, Grayson sat in court with his Springfield-based lawyers, Fultz and Mark Wykoff, and wore a dark suit, white shirt and gold-and-black tie, in contrast to the jail garb he wore in previous court hearings.

Grayson’s face was gaunt, and it looked like he had lost 30 pounds or more since his arrest about 10 days after the incident. His lawyers previously disclosed in court that he was undergoing chemotherapy for Stage 3 colon cancer.

Outside the courtroom, more than 100 people from Springfield, Peoria, Bloomington, St. Louis and Chicago chanted, marched and spoke about their support for Massey’s family. Demonstrations were expected to resume from 1 to 5 p.m. Oct. 22.

Based on their statements in court, the jurors, who were publicly identified only by numbers, include: a married white man who is a retired OSF HealthCare clinical engineer with two daughters, ages 41 and 47; a married white woman who is a retired teacher with two grown children; a married Black man who works as a truck driver and has children ages 17, 25 and 39; and a married white woman who is a mental health counselor and has children ages 6 and 13. She previously worked closely with police and was an administrative assistant for the Bradley University Police Department.

Also, there’s a married white man who works as a customer-services manager and has two children, ages 23 and 20; a married white woman with four school-age children who is a pharmacy technician; a white woman who is married and works as a full-time substitute teacher and has four children; a single white woman with no children who is a hotel events director; a married white woman with three children, ages 16, 13 and 9, who works as an accountant; a married white woman with a 5-year-old child who works as a Caterpillar Inc. account sales manager; a single white woman with no children who is a registered nurse at OSF Saint Francis Medical Center; and a married white woman with no children who works in information technology for an insurance company.

The alternates are a divorced white woman and veteran registered nurse with sons ages 33 and 23; a married white man who is a Caterpillar engineer with a grown daughter; and a single white man with no kids who works for a construction contractor.

Here’s some demographic information on four more Peoria County jurors who have been chosen: A married white man who is a customer services manager and has two daughters, ages 23 and 20. A married white woman who is a pharmacy technician and has four school-age children. A married white woman who has a bachelor’s degree in nursing and works as a full-time substitute teacher. She has four children, the youngest of whom is a senior in high school. A single white woman with no children who is a director of events at a local hotel. So far, out of eight jurors selected, only one is Black. The rest are white. There are five women and three men.

Here’s some demographic information on the four jurors who have been chosen for the jury thus far: A married white man who is a retired clinical engineer for Peoria-based OSF HealthCare and who has two daughters, ages 41 and 47. A married white woman who is a retired teacher with two grown children and a husband who is a retired Caterpillar Inc. employee. A married Black man who is a truck driver and has three children, ages 17, 26 and 39. A married white woman who is a mental health counselor and has two children, ages 6 and 13. That juror, who has a master’s degree in counseling, said in a previous job she was an administrative assistant at the Bradley University Police Department. She said during questioning by lawyers from both sides that she worked closely with police for several years.

Names of the jurors aren’t being disclosed at this point. They only are being identified by numbers.

Chama St. Louis-Boone, a Peoria resident who leads Peorians for Justice for Sonya Massey and organized today’s rally, spoke to the crowd outside the courthouse to provide updates on jury selection.

Potential Peoria County jurors in the trial of former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson were asked this morning whether they would face social repercussions or otherwise be unlikely to convict or exonerate a member of law enforcement charged with a crime.

Grayson defense attorney Dan Fultz told the first 12 juror candidates that lawyers for Grayson and the Sangamon County State’s Attorney’s Office are depending on candidates to disclose any of their philosophical leanings and potential biases.

“We are completely reliant on you … to make sure you’re the appropriate fit for this case,” Fultz said.

The questions from Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser and Fultz came at the beginning of the selection process for jurors who will decide whether Grayson is guilty of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in the July 2024 shooting death of Sonya Massey, 36.

Four of the required 12 jurors had been selected as of 11:50 a.m. Oct. 20 as jury selection continued in a Peoria County courtroom. Opening arguments in the trial, which could last more than a week, are expected on Oct. 22. The trial was moved from Sangamon County because of fears that extensive pretrial publicity would make it too difficult to select a fair and impartial jury.

Grayson, 31, a Riverton resident who has pleaded not guilty and been incarcerated since his arrest, was fired by the sheriff’s department after Massey’s death. He sat in court with his lawyers, Fultz and Mark Wykoff. Grayson wore a dark suit, white shirt and gold-and-black tie, in contrast to the jail garb he wore in previous court hearings.

Grayson appeared alert and, at times, upbeat and smiling as lawyers asked jurors questions and occasionally received humorous responses.

Grayson’s face appeared gaunt, and it looked like he had lost 30 pounds more from his formerly 230-pound, 6-foot-3-inch frame since he was arrested. Massey, a single mother of two teenagers, weighed about 110 pounds at the time of her death, according to court records.

Grayson has been diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer and is undergoing chemotherapy treatment, according to prior court testimony.

Massey’s father, James Wilburn of Pine Bluff, Arkansas, was the lone relative of the victim sitting in the gallery during jury selection.

Massey, who was dealing with mental-health challenges, was shot and killed by Grayson inside her Woodside Township home early the morning of July 6, 2024, after she called 911 when she suspected a prowler in her neighborhood.

Grayson’s attorneys have said in court filings that he shot Massey in self-defense when he feared she was about to douse him with a pot of hot water. But prosecutors have disagreed, saying Grayson was the initial aggressor in the incident.

Around 40 people have already gathered outside the Peoria County Courthouse for a Justice for Sonya Massey Rally as jury selection begins today for Sean Grayson’s murder trial. 

The rally, which organizer Chama St. Louis-Boone said will be peaceful and is designed to “support the Massey family” and call for “accountability of police,” is scheduled to take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on a blocked-off section of Main Street between Adams and Jefferson streets. Police presence is heavy, with snipers on top of some of the tall buildings surrounding the Peoria Courthouse Square and other law enforcement guarding the media who are waiting to enter the courtroom.

The judge has allowed 24 seats for media, with national outlets such as CNN and the New York Times planning to cover the trial along with local and regional ones. However, cameras are not being permitted in the courtroom or even the hallways.