The Illinois Supreme Court is considering whether a former sheriff’s deputy accused of murder in the fatal shooting of Springfield resident Sonya Massey should be released from jail before his October trial date.
Sean Grayson, 30, responded to Massey’s 911 call reporting a potential home intruder on July 6, 2024. Body camera footage shows Grayson, a Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy at the time, threatening to shoot 36-year-old Massey for not removing a pot of boiling water from her stove top, before opening fire and striking her in her face.
Massey, who was ducking behind her kitchen counter with her hands in the air, was unarmed.
The high court agreed to take up the issue of Grayson’s pretrial detention this year, after an appellate court ruled in November that he should be released under Illinois’ Pre-trial Fairness Act. He is charged with three counts of first degree murder and is being held at the Macon County Jail, about 40 miles east of Springfield.
The Supreme Court heard 40 minutes of oral arguments Wednesday morning. At the heart of the issue is whether a court can place conditions on Grayson’s release to mitigate his risk to the community or of fleeing.
Illinois Assistant Attorney General Michael Cebula, on behalf of the state, argued Massey was polite and cooperative with officers at the scene. He said at no point was Massey combative or threatening.
“But, what did the defendant do? As footage shows … he unnecessarily escalated the situation,” Cebula said.
Cebula called Grayson “dangerous,” and showed a “terrible lack of judgment.” He brought up Grayson’s past two DUI convictions, and what is seen on the body camera footage after Massey was shot: her bleeding on her kitchen floor, gasping for air, while Grayson refuses to administer first aid.
“This shows that someone who doesn’t have regard for the humanity of other people,” Cebula said. “If he doesn’t comply with those basic expectations of society, he’s not going to comply with conditions of [pretrial] release.”
Assistant Appellate Defender Deborah Pugh, however, argued Grayson’s actions that night don’t necessarily mean that he will not comply with pretrial release conditions, such as electronic monitoring, home monitoring or relinquishing firearms. She said Grayson has been cooperative throughout the investigation into Massey’s death. She added that Grayson, in his four years in law enforcement, had no history of violence against a civilian.
“It happened during a unique, high-stress situation that won’t happen again,” Pugh said. “This case arises purely out of the defendant’s law enforcement role, but that circumstance no longer exists now that he’s discharged.”
Chief Justice Mary Theis and Justice Mary Kay O’Brien were skeptical in their questioning, suggesting that because Grayson had failed to turn his body camera on until after shooting Massey, he may not comply with the conditions of his pretrial release.
“The [Pre-trial Fairness Act] doesn’t require prevention, it requires mitigating,” said Pugh. “Would being on home confinement mitigate any risk of his release? Yes, absolutely.”
Outside the courtroom, members of the Massey family, including Sonya’s parents, were debriefing on what they had just heard. Many of them said they were disappointed with the defense’s arguments. James Wilburn, Sonya’s father, said: “He could have deescalated the matter. He should have never went inside her house. There’s no consternation in this family. We all are solid … that he should stay confined.”
Sonya’s mother, Donna Massey, said she hopes the justices will take a “fresh look” at the body camera footage before coming to their decision.
“That way they won’t have all this added on and added in,” she said.
Grayson’s trial is set to begin on Oct. 20, and will be held in Peoria County, about 80 miles north of Springfield. Sontae Massey, Sonya’s cousin, said despite the distance, the family plans to attend the full trial.