Sean Grayson is pictured in a booking photo. The former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy is charged with first-degree murder and accused of shooting Sonya Massey to death in her kitchen. He has pleaded not guilty. (Source: Sangamon County Sheriff's Department)
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.
Jury chosen in murder trial of former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson by Beth Hundsdorfer
