Jurors began deliberating late Tuesday morning in the murder trial for former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, in the shooting death of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who had called police for help.
The jury received the case following closing arguments from prosecutors and defense attorneys.
In court on Tuesday, prosecutors held Massey’s cooking pot up for the jury and sarcastically said, “This is the dangerous pot that Sean Grayson was so afraid of.”
Prosecutors also for the second time showed unedited camera footage in court. Massey’s family was visibly emotional and upset, and a juror wiped away tears as she cried while watching the video.
In July 2024, Massey called 911 to report a prowler. Grayson was among the officers who responded.
During their interaction, Massey walked towards a pot of water on the stove. Massey told officers, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” before the officers pulled out their weapons, yelling for her to drop the pot. That’s when Grayson shot Massey.
Grayson, who faces three counts of first-degree murder, took the stand on Monday and offered his version of events. When he and his partner arrived at Massey’s home in the Springfield area on July 6, 2024, Grayson’s body-worn camera was not on.
“I should have turned it on when I saw the broken windows of the car outside,” Grayson told jurors.
Grayson said that the broken window, Massey’s call for help, and having to wait four minutes for Massey to answer the door made him concerned that someone else could have been in the house.
He also claimed, “I believed she was possibly under the influence of something,” and said that she appeared “scatterbrained.”
He said he turned his camera on as he began to question her. He testified that Massey had a pot of boiling water on the stove, and told the jury that he was scared of being hit with boiling hot water inside the pot, and when Massey said “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” he perceived that as a threat and opened fire.
“I saw the bottom of the pot was turning red, so it seemed very hot,” he said. “Then she picked up the pot and walked towards me. … I wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do.”
Grayson said Massey asked, “Where are you going?” and he responded, “Away from your hot steaming water.”
“I took it as a threat,” he said. “It raises a lot of concern for me, and I believe she’s going to throw the water. … We were trained to use force that’s going to gain compliance.”
Grayson said he was equipped with a Taser, but testified, “She was wearing layers and both prongs have to stick in for the Taser to work.”
Grayson’s attorneys during the trial called Massey the aggressor and accused her of escalating the encounter, leaving the former deputy with no other options.
During closing arguments, Grayson’s attorneys instructed the jury that this case is not a question of who shot and killed Massey—rather, it’s a question of whether or not Grayson was justified to do so under Illinois law. State prosecutors painted a picture of Grayson as a man trying to control the entire situation, but was unable to control himself and his own emotions the night he killed Massey.
Jurors last week heard from Grayson’s partner, who said he wasn’t afraid of Massey but said he was afraid of Grayson.
The jury was selected for the trial last week and is made up of nine women and three men. One juror is Black.
CBS News Chicago legal analyst Irv Miller says the jury will have to decide if he was acting reasonably or unreasonably.
“The jury would then have to decide if he was acting reasonably in, thinking he was acting in self-defense, or whether or not that belief was unreasonable. That’s the difference between being found guilty of potentially first-degree murder and second-degree murder. If the belief was unreasonable, that will be second-degree murder,” Miller said.
In August, Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Sonya Massey Bill, which requires more thorough background checks for officers in the state.
Outside of the courtroom, some of Massey’s family hugged demonstrators, who have been vocal about the case. The family is expected to speak on the case upon conclusion of the trial.
