Jurors convict Illinois deputy of killing Sonya Massey but can't agree
on first-degree murder charge
[October 30, 2025]
By JOHN O'CONNOR
PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — A jury on Wednesday convicted an Illinois sheriff’s
deputy of second-degree murder, a lesser charge, in the shooting death
of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a suspected
prowler.
Sean Grayson could be sentenced to up to 20 years in prison or even
probation. The jury did not convict him of first-degree murder, a crime
that carries a sentence of 45 years to life.
Massey's supporters were angered by the result.
“I’m fueled by rage right now," said Massey's cousin, Sontae Massey.
“You get an officer that says he’s going to shoot you in the face, and
then he shoots you in the face, and you only get second-degree? The
justice system did exactly what it’s designed to do today. It’s not
meant for us.”
A call for help and a fatal encounter
Massey’s killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement
shootings of Black people in their homes, and prompted a change in
Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of
candidates for law enforcement jobs.
Massey’s father, James Wilburn, called for the Illinois measure to
become law nationally, along with stalled federal police misconduct and
civil rights legislation.
“There’s a difference in this country when you have my skin color and
Grayson’s skin color,” Wilburn said. “We need serious justice, not a
miscarriage of justice.”
Grayson, who is white, and another deputy arrived at Massey’s home in
Springfield early on July 6, 2024, after she reported hearing someone
banging on the outside of her house. He shot the 36-year-old woman after
confronting her inside about how she was handling a pot of hot water on
the stove.
Grayson and his attorneys argued that he fired his gun in fear that
Massey would scald him with the hot water, contending at one point that
Massey provoked the encounter by threatening to throw the pot at him.
“Anybody who watched the video and thinks that it was partly Sonya’s
fault is inhumane,” Massey's mother, Donna Massey, said after the
verdict. "And for them not to give him life, and Sonya got life – and
death … I can’t wait until he goes to hell.”
Grayson, 31, who was fired upon his indictment, was charged with
first-degree murder, but the jury was given the option of considering
second-degree murder, which can apply when a defendant faces a “serious
provocation” or believes their action is justified even if that belief
is unreasonable. He will be sentenced on Jan. 29.
State’s Attorney John Milhiser would not comment as he left the
courtroom. He was repeatedly praised by Massey's supporters for pursuing
a trial that was moved 75 miles (120.7 kilometers) north to the Peoria
County courthouse because of intense publicity in Springfield.
Defense attorney Daniel Fultz declined to comment after the verdict.
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Sonya Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, hugs a supporter outside the
Peoria County Courthouse in Peoria, Ill., Wednesday, October 29,
2025. (AP Photo/John O’Connor)
Officer testified in his own defense
Body camera video recorded by another Sangamon County sheriff’s
deputy at the scene, Dawson Farley, was a key part of the
prosecution’s case. It showed Massey, who struggled with mental
health issues, telling the officers, “Don’t hurt me,” and repeating,
“Please God.”
When the deputies entered the house, Grayson saw the pot on the
stove and ordered Farley to move it. Massey jumped up to retrieve
the pot, and she and Grayson joked about how he said he was backing
off from the “hot, steaming water.” Massey then replied, “I rebuke
you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson immediately warned her that he would shoot her in the face.
He and Farley drew their pistols and yelled at Massey to put the pot
down. Grayson, who testified in his own defense, told investigators
he thought her “rebuke” meant she intended to kill him and, in the
following commotion, fired three shots, striking Massey just below
the eye.
Former justice says probation off the table at sentencing
While probation is a possible punishment, former state appellate
court Justice David Erickson, a professor at Chicago-Kent College of
Law, said it's unlikely.
“There will be no probation because of the killing of an innocent
woman,” Erickson said. "Obviously, the jury could not find any
intent to kill, necessary for murder one.”
But Erickson predicted Grayson would get a sentence on the low end
of the four- to 20-year range — which comes with day-for-day credit
if he behaves behind bars — because Grayson has no criminal record,
lacked intent to kill, and believed, mistakenly, that he was in
danger.
Despite family members' anger, Antonio Romanucci, one of the lawyers
who helped Massey’s relatives win a $10 million settlement from
Sangamon County, said, “Make no mistake: Sean Grayson is convicted
of murder. He is a murderer now.”
Farley testified that Massey didn’t say or do anything that caused
him to view her as a threat. But under cross-examination, he
acknowledged that he initially reported to investigators that he
feared for his safety because of the hot water. Farley did not fire
his weapon and was not charged.
Massey’s death forced the early retirement of the sheriff who hired
Grayson and generated a U.S. Justice Department inquiry that was
settled when the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department’s agreed to
bolster de-escalation training, work with mental health
professionals when necessary and generate data on use-of-force
incidents.
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