Published on October 21, 2025 10:24 am
Last Updated on October 21, 2025 10:24 am
(SEAN GRAYSON BOOKING PHOTO)
By Beth Hundsdorfer, Capitol News Illinois
PEORIA – A jury was chosen Monday in the murder trial of former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson.
Grayson was charged with first-degree murder after shooting Sonya Massey, 36, in her kitchen after she called to report a prowler outside her home southeast of Springfield on July 6, 2024. Grayson was also charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He pleaded not guilty to all charges.
Read more: Bodycam video shows Sonya Massey’s last minutes, deputy’s coarse description
Massey was experiencing a mental health crisis at the time of her death, according to a family spokesperson.
A Sangamon County judge moved the trial to Peoria due to pretrial publicity.
The pool consisted of 100 potential jurors who were called for selection. The process concluded just before 5 p.m. Monday, with a jury and three alternates chosen.
Opening arguments are scheduled to begin 9 a.m. Wednesday.
Grayson, 31, appeared in court flanked by his two defense attorneys, Dan Fultz and Mark Wycoff. He was clean-shaven and wearing a charcoal suit.
Check back for more coverage from Capitol News Illinois throughout the trial, and visit Springfield’s Illinois Times newspaper for live updates from Peoria.
Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.
