Deputy Who Killed Sonya Massey May Be Released From Jail: Reports

SANGAMON COUNTY, IL — The question of whether Sean Grayson, the Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey in July, should be released from jail may go to the Illinois Supreme Court after an appellate court ruled he should be freed pending trial, according to reports.

The Fourth District Court of Appeals last week found Grayson’s status as an inmate should reflect his public danger as a citizen not an officer, Capitol News Illinois reported, adding an appellate prosecutor is seeking to stay Grayson's release, citing “a high likelihood of societal upheaval.”

Grayson appeared via Zoom from Macon County Jail for a hearing Monday, according to The State Journal-Register, which reported over a dozen protesters called for the 30-year-old’s continued detainment.

Massey’s father, James Wilburn, described the possibility of Grayson’s release as “a serious miscarriage of justice,” the Journal-Register reported.

Massey called 911 around 1 a.m. July 6 about a possible prowler at her home, and Grayson was among the deputies who responded. She was moving a pot off the stove when one of the deputies told her he was stepping “away from your hot steaming water,” according to body camera footage.

“Away from my hot steaming water?” she replied. “Oh, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

The mood shifted drastically as Grayson threatened to shoot Massey in the face, the footage showed. She apologized and ducked behind a counter as the deputies both drew guns and shouted at her to drop the pot that she had been holding, which she appeared to have left near the sink area of her kitchen counter when she ducked. She then popped back up and was seen holding what appeared to be the pot as three shots were heard and water was visible on the kitchen floor.

Grayson, who was terminated and charged with first-degree murder and other offenses, is white. Massey, who had struggled with mental illness, was Black.

The U.S. Department of Justice last month opened a discrimination probe into the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.

Prior to being hired by Sangamon County, Grayson had worked at five other law enforcement agencies since mid-2020, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board. He was also charged with driving under the influence in 2015 and 2016, and pleaded guilty both times, Macoupin County court records showed. The first DUI led to his discharge from the military in February 2016 for "serious misconduct," according to a U.S. official who spoke on condition of anonymity.

If released, Grayson could be put under home confinement or monitoring, the Journal-Register reported.