Massey family calls for ‘total justice’ at daughter’s funeral

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — The funeral for a woman shot and killed in her own home was full of celebration and calls for justice.

Hundreds gathered on Friday to celebrate Sonya Massey’s life and lay her to rest. She was remembered as a friend, a daughter, a sister and a mother of two. Family and friends took turns sharing stories and honoring her.

The celebration of life then quickly turned into calls for justice for the 36-year-old.

Massey was shot and killed two weeks ago by a Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy who responded to a 911 call from her for help. That deputy, Sean Grayson, has been fired from the Sheriff’s Office and is now charged with first degree murder.

The family thanked State’s Attorney John Milhiser for his quick action in filing the charges . But they made it clear that they want more than just convictions to believe justice is served. They want to see “total justice” and systemic change at the local and state levels.

The Massey family has retained nationally recognized civil rights attorney Ben Crump to handle other aspects of the legal fight. Crump spoke at the funeral and to reporters after, saying the family will be accept nothing less than complete justice.

“That’s very important that we don’t ever take our foot off the gas when we are fighting for marginalized people of color, especially black people in America,” Crump said.

Massey’s father James Wilburn also spoke at the funeral. He wondered out loud how Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell could hire Grayson.

“If what I’ve heard is true about y’all’s sheriff, he needs to go,” Wilburn said.

State records obtained by WCIA show Grayson worked at six different law enforcement agencies since August of 2020. He worked less than one year at the Auburn Police Department, one year at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office, and then just over a year with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

Grayson was arrested twice for Class A misdemeanor DUIs — one in 2015 and one in 2016.

“There was all these red flags, and yet they still made him a deputy in this county,” Wilburn said.

The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office acknowledged they knew about Grayson’s two DUIs when they hired him. The county conducts criminal background checks on all employees before hiring them.

But they said they are not aware of any complaints of excessive force during Grayson’s previous stints in law enforcement.

WCIA has multiple Freedom of Information Act requests out to Grayson’s previous employers for more information on his departures from previous jobs. State records show he resigned and started new jobs shortly after — sometimes the next day. County officials said that to their knowledge, Grayson had not been fired from previous jobs.

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