Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff's deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey in her home in 2024, was found guilty of second-degree murder.

Illinois

A former Illinois sheriff's deputy, Sean Grayson, has been found guilty of second-degree murder for the shooting death of 36-year-old Sonya Massey at her home. Grayson was responding to Massey's 911 call about a suspected prowler when the incident occurred. During the trial, Grayson testified that he felt threatened by Massey, who was boiling a pot of water at the time. The jury deliberated for about 13 hours, reviewing body camera footage and other evidence before reaching a verdict. Grayson originally faced first-degree murder charges, but the jury convicted him of the lesser charge. Sentencing is set to take place in Sangamon County, with a possible sentence ranging from four to twenty years.

Ex-officer found guilty of murder in Sonya Massey shooting

A former Illinois Sheriff's deputy who shot and killed Sonia Massey at her home in 2024 has been found guilty of second-degree murder, a lesser charge. Sean Grayson testified in his own defense Monday, saying he believed Massey was possibly under the influence when he responded to her 911 call about a suspected prowler outside her home. Thirty-six-year-old Massey had been boiling a pot of water at the time. Grayson said he was scared of being hit with the hot water. Jury deliberations lasted about 13 hours. They asked the judge several questions and requested to see evidence used in the trial again, including the body camera footage from the incident that we just showed you. CBS News national correspondent Jerika Duncan has been following this case for us in court. Yeah, emotions were running high both inside and outside of the courtroom after the judge read that guilty verdict, guilty of second-degree murder. I looked at both families, the Massey family, they were in tears as well as Sean Grayson's family. I also noticed that Grayson didn't show much emotion. He pretty much stayed looking at the judge when he read that guilty verdict. And there was a moment, though, when the bailiffs came to handcuff Grayson. He sort of looked like he was looking for his family. His family had already left the courtroom. As for what happens next, well, that would be sentencing, and that is scheduled to happen in January of next year in Sangamon County. Back to you. Jerika Duncan, thank you. For more, let's bring in Anna Schechter. She's the senior coordinating producer for CBS News' Crime and Public Safety. And, Anna, you've been covering this since it happened. We know that Grayson originally faced first-degree murder charges. What went into deliberations here? What were the factors that jurors were considering? Well, the one central factor was that video that showed Sean Grayson and Sonia Massey there as it escalated. It went from zero to 60 very quickly. Grayson became angry after Massey said, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus, threatened, said, I am going to shoot you in the face, and then fired that shot. But she did have that pot of boiling water. And Grayson testified on the stand that he felt threatened. And that was enough to bring the conviction down from first-degree murder to second-degree murder, which carries a lesser sentence. Let's talk about sentencing. What does that look like, possibly? Well, it's up to 20 years, which is significantly less than 45 to life. So we'll see. Now, in court, we heard about the expectation is about four years to 20 years. But in the state of Illinois, he could potentially just get time served. But I expect to see him serve more of a term, but possibly not up to that 20 years. OK. Anna Schechter, thank you.

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