PEORIA, Ill. (AP) — Jury selection has begun in the murder trial of an Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged with killing Sonya Massey, a Black woman shot in her home last year after calling police for help.

Sean Grayson, 31, responding to a call about a suspected prowler, fired on the 36-year-old Massey in her Springfield home early on July 6, 2024, after confronting her about how she was handling a pan of hot water Grayson had ordered removed from her stove.

Security was uncharacteristically tight in Peoria, where the trial has been moved. A police tactical team was deployed around the downtown courthouse and snipers were seen on rooftops surrounding the perimeter. 

Massey's killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes and it prompted a change in Illinois law requiring fuller transparency on the background of candidates for law enforcement jobs. 

An outdoor protest drew about 60 people, an organizer said. They held signs that read, “The People Demand: End Police Terror" and “United Now Against Racial Violence.” James Wilburn, Massey's father, watched jury selection in the courtroom. 

Questions for prospective jurors from both sides probed attitudes toward law enforcement during a time of intense feelings for or against police. Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser's questions focused solely on jurors' relationships with officers or organizations, their monetary or volunteer support and whether they would have trouble justifying a guilty verdict against a police officer. 

Notably, Milhiser closed his questioning by asking for a show of hands from jurors who believed police officers may use whatever level of force they deem necessary in doing their jobs — none did. The defense likely will argue that Grayson was justified in his use of force because of the pan of hot water Massey held. 

Defense attorney Dan Fultz gauged panel members' comfort level in returning a not guilty verdict but spent considerable time asking jurors generally about personal obligations and simply whether they wanted to be impaneled.

By midday, attorneys had nearly completed questioning a second pool of a dozen jurors; from the first panel, four had been chosen to serve on the 12-person jury. 

Here's what to know about the case. 

Trial relocated due to national attention

In addition to first-degree murder, Grayson is charged with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. He has pleaded not guilty. 

Widespread attention on Grayson's shooting of Massey prompted Sangamon County Circuit Judge Ryan Cadagin to move the trial from Springfield, 200 miles (322 kilometers) southwest of Chicago. Jurors will instead come from Peoria and surrounding areas, an hour's drive north, and will hear the case in their local courthouse. 

Grayson, who is white, faces a sentence of 45 years to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder.

Body camera footage shows the shooting

After Grayson and another deputy checked the area around Massey’s house, body camera video shows Grayson knocked on her door to report they had found nothing suspicious. He entered the house to obtain details for a report, noticed a pan on the stove and ordered its removal. Massey picked it up. 

She laughingly asked Grayson why he was backing away; he said he was trying to avoid the “hot, steaming water.” Massey responded, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson wrote in an incident report, “I interpreted this to mean she was going to kill me.”

According to body camera video, Grayson pulled his pistol and yelled at Massey to drop the pot. She apologized then put the pan down and ducked behind a counter, but in the confusion, as Grayson yelled, it appears she picked it up again. Grayson fired three times, hitting Massey once just below the left eye. 

On Monday, Grayson sat listening to jury selection dressed in a blue suit, striped tie and tortoise-shell glasses. His hair was cropped close. Listed as 6-foot-3 (1.9 meters) and 230 pounds (104 kilograms) when arrested, he has lost significant weight during his pre-trial incarceration. 

Massey's family had sought mental health care

Massey, a single mother of two teenagers who had a strong religious faith, was beset by mental health problems. When she answered Grayson's knock minutes before the shooting, she said, “Don't hurt me,” and then, as she was questioned and Grayson asked her if she was all right, she repeatedly said, “Please God.”

Earlier that same week, Sonya Massey had admitted herself to a 30-day inpatient mental health program in St. Louis but returned two days later without explanation. 

County records indicate that in the days leading up to the shooting, three 911 calls were made by Massey or on her behalf. In one, her mother, Donna Massey, told authorities her daughter was suffering a “mental breakdown." Donna Massey also told the dispatcher, “I don’t want you guys to hurt her."

Grayson wasn't aware of the calls or Massey's background. County officials have since said there's no practical way to determine and communicate such information for police responding to emergency calls.

The deputy's history prompted Illinois reform

Grayson was arrested 11 days after killing Massey and fired from the sheriff's department.

As his background was scrutinized, Massey's family and others questioned why Grayson, who had been a Sangamon County deputy sheriff for 14 months, had been hired at all. 

In his early 20s, he was ejected from the Army for a drunken-driving arrest in which he had a weapon in his car. He was convicted of a DUI again within the year. 

Before joining the Sangamon County Sheriff's Department, Grayson had four policing jobs in six years — the first three of which were part-time.

There was no indication Grayson had been fired from any job, but evaluations from past employers documented concerns about him. One department reported that while Grayson worked hard and had a good attitude, he struggled with report writing, was “not great with evidence — left items laying around office” and was “a bragger.”

Jack Campbell, the Sangamon County sheriff, was forced to retire six weeks after the shooting. He insisted though that none of Grayson's issues disqualified him from working as a deputy. 

In August, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed a law requiring that prospective police officers permit the release of all personal and employment background records to any law enforcement agency considering hiring them. Legislative sponsors of the measure acknowledged it doesn't prevent candidates with checkered paths from being hired but provides greater transparency.

– John O'Connor, The Associated Press