FILE PHOTO: Donna Massey, the mother of Sonya Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman shot and killed by an Illinois sheriff's deputy during a call for help at her home, reacts after speaking during a press conference and rally at New Mount Pilgrim Missionary Baptist Church in Chicago, Illinois, U.S., July 30, 2024. REUTERS/Vincent Alban/File Photo

By Rich McKay

(Reuters) -An Illinois jury on Wednesday found a former sheriff's deputy guilty of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of an unarmed Black woman in her home in a case that drew national attention.

Sean Grayson, 31, who was dismissed from his job with the Sangamon County Sheriff's Office, had been charged with three counts of first-degree murder after firing three shots at Sonya Massey, 36, in her Springfield home in July 2024, according to the indictment. But the judge also gave the jury the option of finding Grayson guilty of the lesser charge.

The verdict, announced online by the victim's family attorney, came on the second day of deliberations.

The conviction could carry a prison sentence from four to 20 years, but Grayson may be eligible for probation with no prison time, CBS News and other media reported.

Grayson's sentencing was scheduled for January 29, according to media reports.

The shooting, which the victim's family likened to other high-profile cases in which law enforcement has used excessive force on Black Americans, has garnered national attention, but not the level of scrutiny given to cases such as the choking death of George Floyd in Minneapolis and the fatal shooting of Breonna Taylor in Louisville, both in 2020.

ACCUSED SAYS HE ACTED IN SELF-DEFENSE

Grayson's attorneys have argued in court that the former deputy acted in self-defense, according to the Chicago Sun-Times and other media. Grayson had believed Massey was ready to throw a pot of hot water at him, even after he ordered her to put it down, news outlets reported.

Prosecutors argued that Massey was trying to comply when she was shot.

Grayson's lead defense attorney, Dan Fultz, was not immediately available to comment on the verdict.

The Massey family attorney, Ben Crump, and another family attorney, Antonio Romanucci, said the verdict was a measure of justice.

"Accountability has begun, and we now hope the court will impose a meaningful sentence that reflects the severity of these crimes and the life that was lost," the lawyers said in a statement.

About a month after the shooting, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell retired. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker and others had called for him to step down.

Massey's family was awarded a $10 million settlement from Sangamon County in February.

(Reporting by Rich McKay in Atlanta; Editing by Frank McGurty, Rod Nickel and Lisa Shumaker)