Sonya Massey Murder: Former Illinois Rep. Requests Temporary Release

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. – A former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy charged with the murder of Sonya Massey is seeking release from prison while he awaits trial.

Sean Grayson, who has been in custody since his arrest in July, is charged with first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct.

Massey had called 911 to report a prowler, but it later emerged that she was struggling with a mental health crisis at the time of the incident. While responding to the call, Grayson fatally shot Massey, leading to charges against him. He has since pleaded not guilty.

At a hearing this week, a judge indicated that a decision on Grayson’s possible release could be made in the coming weeks.

Background information

The former sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman killed in her Illinois home, was employed by a half-dozen police departments as of 2020, according to state law enforcement records .

Sean Grayson’s career included brief stints as a part-time officer at three small police departments and a full-time job at a fourth department, as well as full-time work at two sheriff’s offices, all in central Illinois.

Grayson, 30, a white man, has pleaded not guilty to first-degree murder, aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct charges in the July 6 killing. He has since been fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

Authorities said Massey called 911 to report a suspected prowler. Finally, two officers showed up at her home in Springfield, about 200 miles southwest of Chicago.

The sheriff’s body camera video confirmed the prosecution’s earlier account of the tense moment when Grayson yelled over a counter at Massey to put down a pot of hot water. He then threatened to shoot the unarmed woman, Massey ducked and stood briefly, and Grayson fired his pistol at her. Massey was hit three times, with a fatal shot in the head.

The Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board shows Grayson was hired part-time by the Pawnee Police Department on August 11, 2020. He was also hired part-time by the Kincaid Police Department on February 4, 2021 and by the Virden Police Department on May 20, 2021.

Two months later, he was hired full-time by the Auburn Police Department and remained there until May 1, 2022, when he was hired full-time by the Logan County Sheriff’s Office. Grayson left Logan County on April 28, 2023 and was hired full-time by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office on May 1, 2023.

According to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board, he received his in-service certification as a law enforcement officer on June 5, 2021.

In a statement following the deadly shooting, Vice President Kamala Harris said she was joining President Joe Biden in calling on Congress to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act.

“Sonya Massey deserved to be safe,” Harris said. “After calling the police for help, she was tragically killed in her own home at the hands of a police officer who had sworn to protect and serve her. The disturbing footage released yesterday confirms what we know from the experiences of so many people – we have a lot. “We have a lot to do to ensure our justice system lives up to its name.”

Massey’s oldest child, 17-year-old Malachi Hill Massey, said he watched the initial body camera video of his mother’s shooting but didn’t finish reading it.

“I don’t have the words,” Malachi Massey said.

If convicted, Grayson faces 45 to life in prison for murder, six to 30 years for assault and two to five years for misconduct.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.