The Brief

PEORIA, Ill. - A former Illinois sheriff's deputy who shot Sonya Massey, a Black woman who had called 911 for help and was later killed in her home because of the way she was handling a pan of hot water, has been found guilty of second-degree murder.

The nine-woman, three-man jury began deliberating on Tuesday. The jury deliberated for around five hours on Wednesday before a verdict was reached.

The backstory:

Sean Grayson, 31, and another deputy answered Massey’s emergency call reporting a prowler outside the 36-year-old woman's Sangamon County home early on the morning of July 6, 2024. They entered the house and, spotting a pan of hot water on the stove, Grayson ordered it removed, according to the other deputy's body camera video, which was key evidence.

Grayson and Mas

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