UPDATED (1:50 p.m.): Sonya Massey did nothing or said nothing that was threatening, said one of the two deputies who responded to her house last summer.
Rather, said Deputy Dawson Farley of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, it was the actions of his partner that night, Sean Grayson, who put him on a “heightened sense of alert.” And within a few minutes, Massey was dead on her kitchen floor.
Farley kicked off the afternoon session of the trial, where Grayson faces charges of murder for the July 6, 2024, shooting of Massey at her house.
Prosecutors maintain that Grayson acted outside of his training as a sheriff’s deputy when he shot Massey. And Farley’s testimony seemed to buttress that.
Farley said he drew his firearm not because he was afraid of Massey but rather because he was afraid of Grayson’s actions that morning. When asked why he changed portions of his report and told state police investigators about it, he said he “just wanted to do right by Sonya and her family and tell the truth.”
The two, Farley said, responded to a 911 call by Massey that people were outside of her house. Farley went into Massey’s backyard to look for a prowler and found none. He went to the front door, knocked, and a few minutes later, Massey came out.
They talked briefly, and Massey said “please don’t hurt me” a few times. Farley went down to the driveway to look at a car that had its window smashed out, and when he turned around, he saw Grasyon and Massey go into the house.
He followed, he testified, as that was part of his training, not to allow his partner to go into the house by himself. Once inside, Grayson saw the stove and the pot of water. He told her to take it off the stove so there wouldn’t be a fire. Grayson then backed up.
“She asked Grayson where he was going and he responded away from your hot steaming water,” Farley testified. “She then said ‘I rebuke you in the name of Jesus’ multiple times.”
Grayson, he said, responded that she better not or he’d shoot her.
He pulled his weapon and that prompted Farley to do the same, again, falling back on his training that if one officer does it the other one too.
When asked by State’s Attorney John C. Milhiser if he thought Massey’s actions necessitated that response, Farley said “no.”
Rather, he said, it was Grayson’s actions.
After the shooting, Farley rushed to render aid, per office policy. Grayson said it wasn’t necessary as there was “nothing we could do.” That was another breach of policy, Farley said.
Farley eventually left the scene, went home and was “distraught,” over what happened.
“I had never seen anyone get shot in front of me before,” Farley added.
Under cross-examination from defense attorney Dan Fultz, Farley did say that he was still on his probationary period where he could have been fired.
Farley countered that he had gone back to watch the body camera video after Grayson’s arrest and sought out the state police to clarify his earlier report.
Fultz inferred that was to distance himself from Grayson; Farley said he didn’t realize he wasn’t completely accurate until he watched the footage a few weeks later.
UPDATED (12:20 p.m.): The jury has been on break for about 30 minutes, but not before they heard Sonya Massey’s 911 call, which is what brought deputies to her home.
The recording, only about a minute long, has Massey telling a Sangamon County dispatcher how she felt there were prowlers outside of her house. She wanted someone to come by her house to look around.
Massey called at about 12:49 a.m., on July 6, 2024, and within about 30 minutes or so, she was dead, shot and killed by former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson.
She sounded calm and composed on the phone and answered all the questions except one.
When the dispatcher asked if she knew her phone number, she said, “I don’t know all of it, but I do know someone is outside of my home.”
The call ended when the dispatcher asked if Massey saw anyone outside.
Sangamon County Judge Ryan Cadagin opted for an early lunch, saying the case was moving quicker than expected.
Grayson sat off to the side of the defense table. He’d occasionally talk to one of his attorneys, but for the most part, sat there and listened to testimony.
The 31-year-old Riverton native is on trial for murder for Massey’s death. The case was moved to Peoria County due to intense pretrial publicity.
Nearly every spot in the courtroom was full of media and friends and family of Massey or Grayson. There was a heightened security presence in and out of the courthouse but so far, in the building, it’s been typical business.
There have been no outbursts, nor have there been any incidents that would require attention.
It’s somber inside the courtroom. Several boxes of tissues were on the benches for family members who might get emotional. Media members tapped away at their laptops while a sketch artist sat in the front row to capture visual images.
The trial is expected to start back up at 1 p.m.
UPDATE (10:38 a.m.): The head of the Illinois State Police investigative team that delved into the death of Sonya Massey said it was “all hands on deck” to investigate the deadly shooting.
Lt. Eric Weston told a Peoria County jury that he couldn’t make an “immediate” determination on whether Sean Grayson acted appropriately a bit after 1 a.m. on July 6, 2024, when he shot and killed Massey in her home.
The lieutenant gave Peoria County jurors a primer on how the state police investigates officer-involved shootings. He detailed how the agents obtained various reports, checked out the house for evidence, and then saw to get body camera footage from the people involved.
Also, he said, Grayson was taken to an area hospital to be checked out as well as to obtain blood and urine samples which are part of normal protocol. Nothing unusual was found, he said.
Weston said he was called about an hour after the shooting and began to assemble “his team” to begin to look into the shooting.
The Illinois State Police is mandated by law to investigate officer-involved shootings to avoid the appearance of a conflict of interest.
Under questioning from Milhiser, Weston said he got to the house at about 3 a.m. and was told the shooting stemmed from an incident with a “pot of water” that was allegedly thrown at Grayson.
However, after he got body camera footage, his view of the situation changed.
“I watched the videos probably more than once,” Weston said. “My initial thought was different than the assumption I made on the scene. I just didn’t at that time make a determination that it was an appropriate use of force.”
As such, he kept in touch with Sangamon County prosecutors. But under questions from defense attorney Mark Wykoff, he admitted that not all officer-involved shootings are criminal in nature.
However, the state’s attorney got them to counter later in the questioning that the investigation did turn into a criminal one.
The trial is now on a brief recess
UPDATE (9:40 a.m.): Sean Grayson got mad at Sonya Massey while she was in her own kitchen and shot her, the Sangamon County State’s Attorney told a Peoria County jury.
But Grayson’s attorney argued that his client acted properly and in self-defense in the early hours of July 6, 2024, when Massey was shot and killed in her own home.
Opening statements lasted for about 30 minutes as the two sides laid out their vision of the case.
State’s Attorney John Milhiser argued the facts were straight-forward.
“This defendant went into the home of Sonya Massey when she called for help and, without lawful justification, shot and killed her,” he told jurors.
But Dan Fultz of Team Grayson said it was not an unlawful act, but rather an act of self-defense from a deputy who feared being scalded with a pot of boiling water.
Grayson, 31, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder. The different counts denote different legal theories, and it’s common in Illinois for prosecutors to charge multiple counts for a single victim.
The trial, which could last into next week, will focus on use of force questions as well as whether Grayson deviated from his training that morning.
In his opening statement, Milhiser said Grayson failed to turn on his body camera that morning, which was part of a pattern of his not to follow training and policies and generally accepted practices.
But Fultz countered that his client relied on his training and urged jurors not to jump to conclusions. Wait to hear all the evidence, he urged the panel of 12.
“Mrs. Massey made the decision, for whatever reason, to lift the pot of water over her head and acted like she was going to throw it at Deputy Grayson,” the defense attorney said. “It was at that moment, and only that moment, that he discharged his weapon.
“You (the jury) are left to decide if that was reasonable without the benefit of 20/20 hindsight,” he said.
The court is now on a 10-minute break and will start back up soon.
PEORIA, Ill. (WMBD) — Opening statements were about to get underway in the case of the People vs. Sean Grayson.
The former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy is on trial for murder related to the July, 6, 2024, deadly shooting of Sonya Massey.
Prosecutors on Tuesday dropped two lesser counts of aggravated battery and official misconduct before trial. It’s not uncommon for prosecutors to drop lesser counts as they might want to avoid a compromise verdict or a conviction on a lesser count.
It is not at issue that Grayson shot Massey. That’s captured on body camera footage. Rather, the issue is going to be whether he was justified in his actions and likely where he followed departmental protocols regarding deadly force.
Grayson was charged in Sangamon County, but Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin moved the case out of that county and to Peoria County due to “intense pretrial publicity.”
The scene
Nearly twenty members of the media assembled outside of courtroom 210 as did members of the Massey family and the Grayson family. Security was tighter than normal but nowhere near what it has been for other high profile cases.
There weren’t metal detectors at room’s entrance and they didn’t look through bags as they have at past trials deemed out of ordinary. Yet, it was clear the sheriff’s office was here.
At least four guards were inside the room including two bailiffs. Outside, several other members of the courthouse security team stood by, watching and waiting.
Inside the room, Team Grayson was at their table, getting ready for the opening statements. The former deputy wore a blue suit with a dark blue tie and was actively participating in conversations with his attorneys.
A few feet away, Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser was also prepping with his team of attorneys.
Behind the media were the families of each party. Security was limiting each pew to about six people. And as such, it didn’t appear that anyone random person off the street would be able to attend the trial.
The case
Again, it’s not in dispute that Grayson shot Massey. The question is whether he followed proper policy when it comes to the use of deadly force.
Prosecutors say no, and point to a report last year by the Illinois State Police which said Grayson was not justified in the shooting.
The state police is mandated by law to investigate officer-involved shootings to eliminate the sense of bias that might come from an agency investigating one of its own.
Grayson and another deputy were called to Massey’s home on a report of a prowler. They came into her residence that night and noticed she had a pot of boiling water on the stove. Grayson and the other deputy told her to take the pot off the stove.
What happened after that is the issue. Grayson contends she held the pot in a threatening way and put him a risk of being injured. The state police investigator didn’t see it that way and argued that Grayson chose to walk closer to her and put himself at risk.
Massey was seen on body camera footage putting the pot down when being told but then picking it back up. That’s when she was shot.
WMBD TV can be reached at News@WJBC.com.
