PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — A town hall was held Thursday in Peoria at the East Bluff Community Center to educate people about the upcoming Sonya Massey trial.
It is a case that’s grabbing national attention. Last summer, Sonya Massey, 36, was shot and killed in her home by a Sangamon County deputy.
That deputy, Sean Grayson, is now charged with first-degree murder and other crimes. The case has gotten so much attention that it’s been moved from Sangamon to Peoria County.
So with such a high-profile trial coming to town, Sonya Massey’s cousin, Sontae Massey, was at the town hall to answer questions about the trial and what he hopes to see.
“I just want the people of Peoria and Tazewell County to be upset,” Massey said. “It’s an obvious slap in the face and it’s an insult to think that they can move this over here and take advantage of the people over here.”
One supporter, Chama St. Louis, said Peoria has the family’s back.
“Peorians are not going to sit down and sit back and just kind of let something happen,” St. Louis said. “We don’t agree with what happened to Sonya Massey in Springfield. And so this is our way of showing that solidarity and to let the family know that we have their back here in Peoria as well.”
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