Ex-officer guilty of murder of Sonya Massey after she reported suspected intruder

A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death last year of a householder who had reported a suspected intruder.

Mother-of-two Sonya Massey, 36, was fatally shot on 6 July 2024 at her home near Springfield, Illinois, after calling 911 about a possible prowler.

Ex-officer Sean Grayson, 31, said he opened fire because he thought Massey was about to throw a pot of boiling water on him.

He was charged with first-degree murder, but the jury was allowed to convict him of the lesser charge of second-degree murder. Grayson faces up to 20 years in prison.

The killing reignited the debate about police brutality in the US, with then President Joe Biden saying Massey “should be alive today”. Massey was black and Grayson is white.

Prosecutor John Milhiser said in his closing argument to the jury that Grayson had lost control and “snapped”.

“These were not the actions of a scared young police officer doing a dangerous job,” Milhiser said. “These are the actions of a bully.”

The incident unfolded in the early hours over Independence Day weekend when Massey called police to her home in Springfield, 200 miles (320km) south of Chicago, to report that she believed someone had broken in to her property.

Police bodycam footage of the incident showed the chaotic moments that led to the shooting.

Officers arrived at the home and followed Massey inside as she searched for her ID.

In the video, Grayson sees a pot sitting on a lit stove, gestures towards it and says: “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.”

Massey, who had received treatment for mental health issues, walks to the stove to remove the pot. She and Grayson appear to laugh over her pot of “steaming hot water”, before she twice says: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

“You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I’ll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face,” Grayson says. He then draws his pistol as he shouts for her to drop the pot.

“OK, I’m sorry,” Massey is heard saying before she ducks.

He fired three shots, striking her in the face.

Afterwards, Grayson says: “What else do we do? I’m not taking hot [expletive] boiling water to the [expletive] face.”

As the other officer goes to get a medical kit, Grayson says: “She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a head shot.”

Grayson, who was subsequently fired, took the stand in his own defence during the trial.

He told the court the bottom of the pot was red and he believed Massey’s words were a threat and she planned to throw the water at him.

But the jury deliberated for about 11 hours before returning their guilty verdict on Wednesday.

Personal injury lawyer Ben Crump, who has been representing the Massey family, said the verdict was “a measure of justice”, although he had hoped Grayson would be convicted of first-degree murder.

“Accountability has begun, and we now hope the court will impose a meaningful sentence that reflects the severity of these crimes and the life that was lost,” Crump said in a statement.

Grayson will be sentenced on 29 January.

Sangamon County, where the shooting happened, awarded the Massey family a $10m (£7.6m) settlement in February.