Rosa Harper-Davis of Springfield protests in support of Sonya Massey outside the Sangamon County complex on July 25, 2025. Former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson, accused of murdering Massey, had a status hearing before Circuit Court Judge Ryan Cadagin.

PEORIA, IL. - The murder trial of the Illinois sheriff's deputy who fatally shot a Black woman after she called police for help is set to begin Oct. 20.

The 2024 killing of 36-year-old Sonya Massey ignited national outrage and was cited as an example of the racist treatment of the country's Black residents, systemic inequality and lack of access to mental health care.

Testimony before Judge Ryan Cadigan will hinge on use of force experts as well as the chaotic and sometimes gruesome body camera video, which sparked calls for police reform and a federal investigation after it was released to the public. Several streets around the downtown courthouse will be closed to through traffic and a protest is scheduled when jury selection begins.

Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy who faces five charges related to Massey's death, has pleaded not guilty, saying he acted in self defense.

Grayson faces 20 to 60 years if convicted of first-degree murder and a 25-year to lifetime enhancement for discharge of a firearm. The sentencing range is six to 30 years for Grayson for aggravated battery with a firearm, which would be served concurrently with a murder sentence. Official misconduct carries a two to five-year sentence, made consecutive with a murder conviction.

What happened to Sonya Massey?

Massey was shot and killed inside her home in Illinois' Sangamon County on July 6, 2024, after she called 911 to report a prowler.

Bodycam footage shows Massey, in a thin dressing gown, apologizing to one of the sheriff's deputies who arrived on the scene. Massey picked up a pot of hot water and said "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."

Grayson said in his field report that his interpretation was that Massey was going to kill him. Both deputies yelled for her to drop the pot as they drew their service weapons.

“OK, I’m sorry,” Massey said as she ducked under her kitchen counter.

Grayson then fired three times, striking Massey in the eye.

Massey was a mother of two and worked as a home healthcare aide for period of time, living in a town called Cabbage Patch, according to her family. Her family said she struggled with a mental illness and was diagnosed with lupus, an autoimmune disease.

Massey had reportedly been in a state of crisis in the weeks leading up to the shooting, talking with a mobile crisis team in Springfield three times in the two weeks before her death, according to details of her interactions released by the sheriff's office.

Malachi Hill-Massey, her 17-year-old son, told reporters Massey was seeking mental health treatment at a facility near St. Louis, where she was supposed to stay for 30 days but was released after two.

Murder trial to exclude details of Grayson's previous employment

The murder case will center around Grayson's body camera footage, and details of his previous work in law enforcement will be off limits.

Grayson, 31, arrived in Sangamon County in 2023 with a range of missteps on his record, including two DUIs, a discharge from the U.S. Army for "serious misconduct" and complaints against him from the people he policed as well as other law enforcement officers, USA TODAY previously reported.

He had five law enforcement jobs since 2020, some of them part-time and overlapping with each other, and the Sangamon sheriff's department's own hiring interview warned that Grayson "needs to slow down to make good decisions."

Various departments and supervisors expressed concerns about Grayson, including the clinical psychologist who conducted a screening interview for Sangamon County and said Grayson "scored low on the cognitive assessment."

Massey's killing prompted Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to sign new legislation requiring law enforcement agencies in the state to perform more comprehensive reviews of prospective officers.

This article originally appeared on Journal Star: Murder trial of former Illinois deputy who fatally shot Sonya Massey gets underway

Reporting by Hannah Hudnall, Trevor Hughes, Michael Loria, N'dea Yancey-Bragg and Steven Spearie, Peoria Journal Star / Journal Star

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