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Sonya Massey murdered in her home Illinois The sheriff’s deputy was charged by prosecutors with first-degree murder, which carries a possible life sentence. The judge gave the jury another option when deliberations began this week.
shaun grayson was found guilty Wednesday of second-degree murder, a lesser charge with less serious consequences. Messi’s family was angry with the decision. Supporters of the black woman called it a miscarriage of justice and said that a white police officer had deliberately shot her in the face in her kitchen.
experts Let’s say the verdict form with multiple options is common in Illinois courts and elsewhere – if a judge believes the evidence presented at trial can justify it. Grayson, testifying on his own behalf, claimed that he felt threatened by Massey and his hot water pot.
“It’s not unusual,” Andrew Leipold, who teaches criminal law at the University of Illinois College of Law, said of jury choices.
Under Illinois law, “second-degree murder recognizes the possibility that people honestly — but unreasonably — believed they were in danger, so they killed the person they were worried about,” Leipold said.
Grayson’s story of that night
None of the jurors spoke to reporters about how they reached consensus on the sentence. But they were likely influenced by Grayson’s version of what happened when he and another officer went to Massey’s home. springfield As early as July 6, 2024.
Massey had called 911 in the state capital to ask for help for a suspected stalker. Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Grayson arrived with another officer and their encounter with Massey began to center on a boiling pot of water.
Grayson said Massey, who struggles with mental health issues, grabbed the pot after ordering another officer to remove it from the stove. “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” she said, according to the body camera video.
Grayson testified that he was afraid of getting hurt by the utensils and water. She told investigators that she believed the “reprimand” meant that Massey intended to kill her. He fired three bullets, which hit him just below the eye and killed him.
“He believed he was a threat,” defense attorney Daniel Fultz said in arguing for acquittal. “You don’t have to believe that it was so. That’s what they believed.”
State’s attorney John Millhiser said that Grayson, who was ultimately fired, did not follow his training that night.
The prosecutor told the jury, “Send in someone else – anyone – and Sonya Massey would be alive today.”
final jury instructions
Judge Ryan Cadigan added the option of second-degree murder after discussing jury instructions with both sides. Second degree murder in Illinois may apply when the defendant faces “serious provocation” or believes his actions are justified, even if that belief is unreasonable.
Former county prosecutor and U.S. attorney in central Illinois J. “It’s the judge’s decision,” William Roberts said. “If there are facts that could support something less than first-degree murder, the court will almost always include it rather than risk having it overturned on appeal.”
Law professor Leipold said: “That’s what juries are for.”
“They listened to (Grayson’s) testimony. They judged his credibility,” Leipold said. “It doesn’t seem like there was much dispute over the facts, just the state of mind and drawing conclusions about who did what.”
Grayson, 31, faces up to 20 years in prison, plus time served for good behavior, or probation. Those convicted of first-degree murder can face up to 45 years in prison without good time credit.
“A jury in midwestern Illinois is not going to want to think that a police officer is an open murderer,” Roberts said. “There’s still a lot of trust in law enforcement in our communities, although things like this certainly undermine that.”
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Reported from White detroit,