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murder trial Illinois A sheriff’s deputy is scheduled to face trial Monday in the murder of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who was shot in her home last year after she called police for help.
shaun grayson31, responding to a call about a suspected stalker, opened fire on 36-year-old Macy springfield Coming home early on July 6, 2024, Grayson ordered her to remove it from her stove when she asked him how she was handling a pan of hot water.
Jurors will report on Monday and the trial could continue into next week.
Massey’s murder raised new questions about the shootings of black people in their own homes by American law enforcement, and it prompted a change in Illinois law requiring full transparency on the backgrounds of candidates for law enforcement jobs.
Here’s what to know about the allegations.
Trial moved due to national attention
In addition to first-degree murder, Grayson is charged with aggravated assault with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty.
Widespread attention to Grayson’s shooting of Massey prompted Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadgin to move the trial 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Springfield. chicagoInstead jurors would come from Peoria and surrounding areas, an hour’s drive north, and hear the case in their local courthouse.
Grayson, who is white, faces 45 years to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.
Body camera footage shows the shooting
After Grayson and another deputy checked the area around Macy’s home, body camera video shows Grayson knocking on her door and reporting that they did not find anything suspicious. He entered the house to get details for a report, saw a pan on the stove and ordered it removed. Macy picked it up.
He laughingly asked Grayson why he was holding back; He said he was trying to avoid “hot, steaming water”. Macy responded, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” “I took it to mean she was going to hit me,” Grayson wrote in an incident report.
According to body camera video, Grayson pulled his 9mm pistol and yelled at Macy to drop the pot. She apologized and then put the pan down and hid behind a counter, but in the confusion, as Grayson yelled, she seemingly picked it up again. Grayson fired three times, hitting Massey once below his left eye.
Messi’s family sought mental health care
Macy, a single mother of two teenagers who had strong religious beliefs, was plagued with mental health problems. When she answered Grayson’s knock minutes before the shooting, she said, “Don’t hurt me,” and then, when she was interrogated and Grayson asked her if she was OK, she repeatedly said, “Please God.”
Earlier that same week, Sonya Massey had admitted herself to a 30-day inpatient mental health program in St. Louis, but returned without explanation two days later.
County records show that in the days before the shooting, three 911 calls were made by Massey or on his behalf. In one, her mother, Donna Massey, told authorities that her daughter was suffering a “mental breakdown.” Donna Massey also told the dispatcher, “I don’t want you guys to hurt her.”
Grayson did not know about the calls or Massey’s background. County officials have since said there is no practical way to determine and communicate such information to police responding to emergency calls.
The history of the deputy inspired the Illinois Reformation.
Grayson was arrested and fired from the sheriff’s department 11 days after Massey’s murder.
As his background investigation was conducted, Massey’s family and others raised questions about why Grayson, who had been a Sangamon County deputy sheriff for 14 months, was hired at all.
At the age of 20, he was fired from the army for drunk driving because he had a weapon in his car. He was convicted of DUI again within the year.
Before joining the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department, Grayson had four policing jobs in six years – the first three of which were part-time.
There was no indication that Grayson had been fired from any jobs, but evaluations from previous employers recorded concerns about him. One department reported that Grayson worked hard and had a good attitude, but that he had difficulty writing reports, was “not good at evidence – left stuff lying around in the office” and was “bragging”.
Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell was forced to retire six weeks after the shootings. However he stressed that none of Grayson’s issues disqualified him from serving as a deputy.
State law enforcement officials had certified Grayson for his service in each of his previous jobs, but Campbell still asked him to attend a 16-week police academy training course.
In August, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker A law was signed requiring prospective police officers to provide all personal and employment background records to any law enforcement agency considering hiring them. Legislative sponsors of the measure acknowledged that it does not prevent candidates with checkered paths from being hired but does provide greater transparency.