PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — The 12 jurors, in the trial of Sean Grayson for the 2024 shooting death of Sonya Massey, found him guilty of second degree murder.
The jury’s verdict, which came after just shy of 13 hours of deliberation over the course of two days, was presented to Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin on Wednesday afternoon, following the seven-day trial.
Anticipation began to build about 20 minutes before, and now they are filling the courtroom with media and the families of Sonya Massey and Grayson.
All the parties were already in the room before the doors were open.
Massey’s family, on the other side, sat very quietly. Some stared straight ahead. Others cried.
For his part, Grayson, 31, a former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy, sat straight up and looked at the judge.
The verdict of second-degree murder can be seen as a win for Team Grayson, as he now faces at least four year s and probably 20 years when sentenced. It is a day for day sentence, meaning that he could serve only half his term. Also, probation is an option.
That’s vastly different from first-degree murder, which carries a 45-year minimum, and he would have to serve 100% of that sentence.
He will be sentenced on Jan. 29, 2026, in Springfield.
The Grayson’s were let out of the room first. They filed out and left quickly. Again, the Massey family was clearly upset with the verdict.
UPDATE (2:20 p.m.) — Grayson sat at the defense table. He put his head on the table and then picked it up. He kept looking down, and his hands were in his lap.
The entire courtroom was full. Members of the Grayson family prayed. They put their hands to their mouths. On the other side, the Massey’s looked emotional as well.
From the bench, Sangamon County Judge Ryan Cadagin urged people to remain civil and not show any outburts.
Updates for other days of the trial can be found below:
- Day 1: Jury Selection
- Day 2: Motions and rulings
- Day 3: Illinois State Police Investigative head takes the stand
- Day 4: Departmental policies
- Day 5: Faculty director of the Excellence in Policing & Public Safety (EPPS) Program takes the stand.
- Day 6: Defense calls expert
- Day 7: Closings, jury instructions and deliberations begin
Updates from inside the courtroom by WMBD’s Andy Kravetz will be below in reverse chronological order.
UPDATE (1 p.m.) — There has been no sign that jurors in the Sean Grayson murder trial have reached a verdict.
The jurors gathered early Wednesday and have been deliberating since before 9 a.m.
The morning started off with two questions, asking to see information on Grayson’s state-level training and then to see a list of exhibits which had been admitted into evidence.
And since about 9:05 a.m., there has been nary a peep from the panel of 12. In all, they have been deliberating the fate of the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy for a total of 10 hours over two days.
Members of the media are milling about the second floor, where the courtroom is located. Family members of both Grayson and Sonya Massey, whom Grayson shot and killed on July 6, 2024, have come in and out of the building.
And the rest of the building is undergoing business as usual. There was a verdict in another trial down the hall from the room where Grayson’s trial was held. And another man was sentenced to prison for illegally having an automatic handgun.
UPDATE (12:45 p.m.) — Jurors in the Sean Grayson murder trial have been deliberating for a bit early Wednesday morning and already had two questions.
One was to see another exhibit — legalese for a piece of evidence, be it a report or a video — and the other was for a list of exhibits.
The exhibit they wanted to see dealt with training Grayson had received from the state of Illinois while at a training academy.
Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin sent those back and then recessed the court after a five-minute session right at 9 a.m.
There has been no sign that jurors in the Sean Grayson murder trial have reached a verdict.
Security was very tight at the Peoria County Courthouse on Wednesday. Several deputies with the Peoria County Sheriff’s Office were walking around in green tactical gear. It wasn’t clear if they were there to remain on the second floor near the courtroom or just checking in with a supervisor.
The family of Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy who was charged with murder for the July 6, 2024, death of Sonya Massey, stood in one part of the hallway. There was only a handful of people, as there had been all week.
The family of Sonya Massey, however, filled another part of the hallway. They have been camping out in an unused courtroom to wait for the verdict.
But overall, the mood in the building was fairly cordial. People chatted with each other and exchanged pleasantries.
Media presence, already high for a case held in Peoria County, was even higher as outlets who had not been at the trial showed up to cover the final portion of the case.
During the brief court hearing, Grayson, 31, stood next to his attorneys. His dark blue suit contrasted with a brown belt and shoes. He looked fairly relaxed despite the tension in the room regarding the case.
UPDATED (8:10 a.m.) — Within an hour, the 12 jurors who are deliberating in the Sean Grayson trial will get back to work on deciding whether he’s guilty of murder.
After more than 6 1/2 hours of deliberations, the jury was sent home Tuesday with orders to resume Wednesday morning at 9 a.m.
The panel of 12 went out at about 11:40 a.m., Tuesday. Now it’s a waiting game for both the Grayson family and the family of Sonya Massey, who was shot and killed by the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy on July 6, 2024.
Closing arguments took about 2 hours and 15 minutes, after which the judge read instructions to the jury. Jurors will also have the ability to consider a lesser charge of second-degree murder, which carries a possible prison term of four to 20 years behind bars. Probation is also an option.
First-degree murder has a sentencing range of 20 to 60 years behind bars and if jurors find Grayson pulled the trigger — an additional 25 years to life is automatically added. That is based on a landmark 2000 U.S. Supreme Court case that requires the additional penalty if a jury finds the defendant pulled the trigger.
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