Lawyers gave their opening statements to a jury at the Peoria County Courthouse on Wednesday morning, officially kicking off the trial of a former Illinois deputy accused of fatally shooting Sonya Massey.Sean Grayson, 31, shot Massey, a 36-year-old Black mother of two, in June 2024 after she called authorities to her Springfield home about a possible prowler. The former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, who is white, said in a report written after the incident that he feared bodily harm because Massey was holding a pot of boiling water and said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”Nearly two weeks later, Grayson was fired and charged with first-degree murder, one count of aggravated battery and one count of official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty and was held in jail pending trial.
First of all, Sean Grayson had no business being in Sonya Massey’s house to begin with. He had a history of trouble in law enforcement, having been disciplined for misconduct on the job and bouncing between multiple positions in just a few years-—a major red flag if there ever was one. He also didn’t have his body camera on during the incident (another erd flag) and we only got to see a video of the incidnet because his partner's badge cam was on. Plus, when he told Massey to turn off the stove where water was boiling, she had already shown signs of mental illness, something a trained police officer should be aware of. I’m also convinced that Grayson didn’t even understand what the word “rebuke” meant, and instead took it as a threat. That misunderstanding seemed to trigger him, leading to his outburst—yelling that he’d “shoot her in the face” if she didn’t put the pot down. At that point, Massey was as good as gone. What’s worse, after shooting her, Grayson showed a shocking indifference to life when his partner tried to render aid and he told him not to bother because she was “dead anyway.” Bottom line: Sean Grayson murdered Sonya Massey, the facts are all on video. He deserves to spend the rest of his life in prison, and the city of Springfield should also be held accountable for hiring Grayson in the first place.
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