A former Illinois deputy is sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing Sonya Massey

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) - A former Illinois sheriff's deputy was sentenced Thursday to 20 years in prison for fatally shooting Sonya Massey, who had dialed 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield home.

Sean Grayson, 31, was convicted in October in a police brutality case that prompted protests over systemic racism and led to a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry. Grayson, who is white, received the maximum possible sentence. He has been incarcerated since he was charged in the killing.

He apologized during the sentencing, saying he wished he could bring Massey back and spare her family the pain he caused. His attorney had asked for a sentence of six years, noting that Grayson has late stage colon cancer that has spread to his liver and lungs.

"I made a lot of mistakes that night. There were points when I should've acted, and I didn't. I froze," he said during the hearing. "I made terrible decisions that night. I'm sorry."

Massey's parents and two children - who lobbied for the maximum sentence - said their lives had changed dramatically since the killing. Her two children said they had to grow up without a mother, while Massey's mother said she lived in fear. They asked the judge to carry out justice in her name.

"Today, I'm afraid to call the police in fear that I might end up like Sonya," her mother Donna Massey said during the hearing.

Grayson's attorneys had pushed for a new trial, which Judge Ryan Cadigan dismissed at the start of the hearing.

In calling for the maximum prison term, State's Attorney John Milhiser argued that Massey would still be alive if the police department had sent someone else to respond.

"Sonya Massey's death rocked her family, but it rocked the community, it rocked the country," State's Attorney John Milhiser said. "We have to do whatever we can to ensure it never happens again."

When the judge read the sentence, the family reacted with a loud cheer: "Yes!" The judge admonished them.

After the hearing, Massey's relatives thanked the public for the support and listening to their stories about Massey.

"Twenty years is not enough," her daughter Summer told reporters.

In the early morning hours of July 6, 2024, Massey - who struggled with mental health issues - summoned emergency responders because she feared there was a prowler outside her Springfield home.

According to body camera footage, Grayson and sheriff's Deputy Dawson Farley, who was not charged, searched Massey's yard before meeting her at her door. Massey appeared confused and repeatedly said, "Please, God."

The deputies entered her house, Grayson noticed the pot on the stove and ordered Farley to move it. Instead, Massey went to the stove, retrieved the pot and teased Grayson for moving away from "the hot, steaming water."

From this moment, the exchange quickly escalated.

Massey said: "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."

Grayson drew his sidearm and yelled at her to drop the pan. She set the pot down and ducked behind a counter. But she appeared to pick it up again.

That's when Grayson opened fire on the 36-year-old single mother, shooting her in the face. He testified that he feared Massey would scald him.

Grayson was charged with three counts of first-degree murder, which could have led to a life sentence, but a jury convicted him of the lesser charge. Illinois allows for a second-degree murder conviction if evidence shows the defendant honestly thought he was in danger, even if that fear was unreasonable.

Massey's family was outraged by the jury's decision, raising questions of racial injustice.

"The justice system did exactly what it's designed to do today. It's not meant for us," her cousin Sontae Massey said after the verdict.

Massey's killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump negotiated a $10 million settlement with Sangamon County for Massey's relatives.

The case also generated a U.S. Justice Department inquiry that was settled when the county agreed to implement more de-escalation training; collect more use-of-force data; and forced the sheriff who hired Grayson to retire. The case also prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the backgrounds of candidates for law enforcement jobs.