A Jury Found Sean Grayson Guilty of the Lesser Charge After Fatally Shooting Massey Who Called 911 for Help
An Illinois jury found Grayson guilty of second-degree murder, a lesser charge carrying up to 20 years in prison or probation, after rejecting the state’s push for a first-degree murder conviction.
Rev. Al Sharpton, founder and president of the National Action Network (NAN), issued a statement Wednesday following the conviction of former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her Springfield, Illinois home on July 6, 2024.
Massey, 36, called 911 to report a suspected prowler at her home. When deputies arrived, she was moving a pot of boiling water off her stove. Grayson claimed he feared she would throw the water on him and fired three shots, striking her below the eye.
Body camera footage captured Massey pleading, “Don’t hurt me. Please, God,” moments before she was killed.
Sharpton, who joined rallies for Massey’s family in Chicago last year, said the verdict was “proof that those in law enforcement who abuse trust or fatally punish someone in the middle of a mental health crisis must be held accountable.”
“Sonya Massey did not deserve to die, along with countless other Black and Brown men and women who needed help with their lives — only to lose it,” Sharpton said. “Even amid an era where the National Guard patrol our streets or civil liberties are stripped away, 12 jurors proved there is still faith in our system.”
Sharpton emphasized that “the fight does not end with this conviction,” calling on lawmakers to pass the George Floyd Justice in Policing Act, which would strengthen police accountability, restrict qualified immunity, and expand oversight of misconduct.
“Until those who abuse their power are fully held accountable — to lose their pension or their property over the loss of life — we will still be right where we are today,” Sharpton said.
Her family’s attorneys, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, called the second-degree conviction a “measure of justice,” though supporters said the verdict fell short.
“She called for help and was murdered in her own home,” said activist Teresa Haley. “Second-degree murder — that is not right. That is not justice for anybody’s family.”
Grayson, 31, will be sentenced on January 29, 2026. Following Massey’s death, Illinois lawmakers passed reforms requiring more transparency in police hiring and background checks.
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office also entered a U.S. Justice Department agreement mandating better de-escalation training and new mental health response protocols. Massey’s family later settled a $10 million civil lawsuit against the county.
Sharpton said Wednesday that this case “proves Sonya Massey’s life mattered — but it also makes the fire for us to fight for her even brighter.”
