SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy accused of murder, appeared in court Monday morning for a status hearing of the case.
Grayson is facing three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct for the role he allegedly played in the death of Sonya Massey . He pleaded not guilty to the charges against him and has filed an appeal of his pretrial detention.
On Monday, prosecutors and Grayson’s lawyers agreed to meet in court again at a later date to give an appellate court more time to rule on Grayson’s appeal. Another status hearing has been scheduled for Dec. 2.
Fundraiser for Sonya Massey eclipses $500,000 The charges stem from Massey’s death on July 6. Early that morning, she called 911 to report a “prowler” and Grayson responded. Body camera footage showed that while inside her home, Massey took a pot of boiling water off the stove with Grayson’s permission. Shortly after, Grayson threatened to shoot Massey in the face, then pulled his gun and aimed it at her. Grayson claims he thought she was going to throw the boiling water at him.
Grayson fired three shots, one of which hit Massey in her face. That, the coroner, found , was the fatal shot.
After two weeks of investigating, which drew concerns from the community on a lack of transparency , Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser announced the results: he did not find Grayson’s use of deadly force to be justified and a Sangamon County grand jury indicted Grayson.
Grayson was fired from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office and was arrested. He’s been in custody since then.
‘The community is united’: Sangamon Co. Board discusses next steps after Sonya Massey murder charges The case has also received attention from politicians like Governor Pritzker , President Biden , and Vice President Harris . Renowned attorney Ben Crump is representing the Massey family and Sheriff Jack Campbell, who hired Grayson despite a history of disciplinary issues at his previous law enforcement jobs, has since retired . Sangamon County also created a commission to learn from the community how to prevent another tragedy like Sonya Massey’s death. Formal meetings for the commission are being planned at this time .
This is a developing story. We will provide updates as we learn more.
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