Emotions ran high in an Illinois courtroom Wednesday as a jury watched body camera video showing the moments a former sheriff's deputy shot Sonya Massey in her kitchen.
Sean Grayson, 31, sat in the courtroom hunched in his chair and appeared to plug his ears during the part of the video that included audio of shots being fired at Massey. Massey, 36, a Black mother of two, had called authorities to her Springfield home for help with a possible prowler in July 2024.
Grayson, a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, who is white, wrote in a report after the incident that he feared bodily harm because Massey was holding a pot of boiling water and said, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
Prosecutors say the bodycam video shows Massey wasn’t a real threat to Grayson.
Wednesday was the first day of testimony in Grayson’s murder trial, and he could face 45 years to life in prison if he is convicted. He has pleaded not guilty and was held in jail pending trial.
While video played of a graphic scene featuring a deputy trying to render aid to Massey after the shooting, one juror covered her eyes with a notepad. Other jurors teared up. The sole Black juror rested his forehead on his hand and did not look at the screen while Massey's body was visible.
Some members of Massey's family, including her mother, were escorted out of the courtroom in tears, but her father, James Wilburn, sat in the back for the entire video and stared straight ahead.
Earlier in the day, John Milhiser, the state’s attorney for Sangamon County, said in his opening statement that Grayson went into Massey’s home, where she “was not a suspect,” and shot and killed her "without lawful justification."
Milhiser noted that Grayson did not immediately turn on his body camera, which he said followed a pattern of his not following policies or training. He said Grayson shot Massey because he was angry.
In the lead-up to the shooting, Milhiser said, Massey was "nice and kind" when she was talking to Grayson and his partner. He described the shooting as "what happens when the defendant gets mad at a woman who is standing in her own kitchen."
Grayson's attorney Daniel L. Fultz said in his opening statement that evidence will show that Grayson lawfully discharged his weapon and acted to protect his life.
"He believed he would suffer great bodily harm or death," he said.
He said Grayson gave “firm, unequivocal and repeated” warnings to Massey to put down the pot of water before he fired his weapon.
"What happened to Ms. Massey was a tragedy, but it was not a crime," Fultz said.
Deputy Dawson Farley, who was with Grayson the night of the shooting, was questioned about his recollection before jurors saw his body camera video.
He said he drew his weapon inside Massey's home because he was "trying to back my partner," but he added that he did not see or hear anything that made him feel a weapon was warranted.
Farley said that after the shooting, he tried to retrieve a medical kit but that Grayson told him not to bother. He testified that he was "caught off guard" by his partner's remark because it did not follow protocol.
Farley said he was not scared by any of Massey's actions.
"Were you nervous about her doing anything?" Milhiser asked.
"No," Farley said.
"Were you worried about her hurting you?" he asked.
"No," Farley said again. "She never said anything that alarmed me."
During cross-examination, Fultz noted that Farley initially wrote in his report that he was "in fear of great bodily harm from the steaming water."
Farley testified he went back to the Illinois State Police to revise his report almost a month after the incident to clarify a few points. He said the fear he felt when he drew his weapon came from Grayson’s actions, not from Massey and the hot water.
Fultz noted that the revision came after Grayson was indicted, adding, "Clarifying is different than changing your story."
Jurors also heard Massey's initial 911 call for help Wednesday, as well as testimony from Sangamon County's chief deputy at the time of the shooting.
Sgt. Anthony Mayfield, who is now retired, said Grayson's actions that night went against Sangamon County policies about use of force, body-worn cameras, conduct and rendering aid.
In addition to the murder charge, Grayson was also originally charged with aggravated battery and official misconduct. The prosecution dropped those charges before opening statements with no objection from the defense.
Massey's killing triggered a national response, igniting protests across the country. Protesters gathered outside the courthouse Monday to call for justice for Massey, who had mental health issues, according to her family.
Her death raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes, and it prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency about the backgrounds of candidates for law enforcement jobs.
The trial is expected to last a week and a half.
