ILLINOIS (WCIA) -- On Wednesday, a jury found former Sangamon County deputy Sean Grayson guilty of second-degree murder in the shooting of Sonya Massey. In response, leaders throughout the state reacted to the news.

The Massey Commission was created in 2024 by Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter and Democratic State Senator Doris Turner to discuss, research and propose policy changes at the local and state level in response to Massey’s death.

In response to Wednesday's verdict, the commission released a statement saying that the decision brings a "breath of hope and a long-delayed whisper of justice."

"For our community, it is a moment to close our eyes, to draw in the heavy air of truth, and to exhale the breath we have been holding for far too long," the commission wrote in

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