UPDATED 3:48 P.M.
Springfield, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – A trial by jury against former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson for the death last year of Sonya Massey will go on as scheduled.
Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser and defense attorney Mark Wykoff confirmed to Judge Ryan Cadigan Thursday there have been no negotiations or offers about a plea. Grayson told the judge he indeed wants a jury trial, as opposed to a bench trial in which the judge would determine guilt or innocence.
The charges include first degree murder. In short, if Grayson is convicted of that charge and found to have shot a gun in committing the murder, the maximum sentence would be life in prison.
On July 6, 2024, Sonya Massey called 9-1-1 from her home in an unincorporated part of the Springfield area to report a possible prowler. Bodycam video shows the visit by Grayson and another deputy escalating quickly, to the point where Massey was in the kitchen to remove a pan of hot water from the stove. Grayson, admonishing her not to throw the water at him, then threatens to shoot her “in your f***ing face,” then does shoot her in the face.
He’s claiming self-defense.
At a previous hearing, the judge ruled the state is allowed to show the jury the video beyond the point of Massey’s death. That means the jury will hear the conversation between the two deputies, including Grayson telling his colleague getting a medical bag will be of no help and seeming to laugh about the incident. The jury also will not be hearing about any misconduct in Grayson’s past, including from former police jobs, the military, or his arrests for driving while intoxicated. The defense lost a motion to introduce evidence contending Massey had a violent past, bolstering the self-defense claim.
Cadigan told both sides to prepare lists of people who should be allowed to witness the trial. Twenty seats have been set aside for members of the media.
WTAX News and Capitol City Now plan to attend each day of the trial, which some observers predict will last two weeks.
