SPRINGFIELD, ILLINOIS– SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — Fifteen months later Sonia Masseya black woman who called 911 for help, was killed in her home, and the former police officer who fired the fatal shot is set to stand trial.
Sean Grayson, 31, a former deputy with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department in central Illinois, has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder.
The trial was scheduled to begin Wednesday with opening statements. If Grayson is convicted of murder, he faces 45 years or life in prison. Prosecutors dismissed individual charges of aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct.
On July 6, 2024, Macy, a 36-year-old single mother of two teenagers, died. He suffered from mental health problemscalled emergency responders on the suspected troll. When Grayson, who is white, and another deputy entered her Springfield home to report finding no one, Grayson noticed a pot of hot water on the stove and ordered it removed.
According to body camera video that is sure to play a major role in the trial, Grayson and Massey joked about how the deputy backed away when she moved the frying pan before Massey said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson later told sheriff’s investigators that he believed Massey’s statement It means she intended to kill himHe shouted at her to drop the bowl and in the ensuing commotion, fired three shots. Hit it just below the eye.
The incident has raised ongoing questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings Black people in their homes And made a change in Illinois law requires fuller transparency On the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs.
A jury of 10 women and five men, including three alternates, will hear testimony that is expected to conclude next week. Questioning of potential jurors Monday by Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Meliser and defense attorney Daniel Fultz focused on attitudes toward law enforcement during a turbulent time in America.
The witnesses scheduled to testify for both the state and the defense are reportedly experts in police training, generally accepted police practices, use of force, video cameras, the use of video in investigations, and the review of incidents involving the use of force.
The national attention the case gained prompted Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin to move the trial from Springfield to Peoria, 167 miles (269 kilometers) southwest of Chicago.