A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy has been found guilty of second-degree murder in the death last year of a householder who had reported a suspected intruder.
Mother-of-two Sonya Massey, 36, was fatally shot on 6 July 2024 at her home near Springfield, Illinois, after calling 911 about a possible prowler.
Ex-officer Sean Grayson, 31, said he opened fire because he thought Massey was about to throw a pot of boiling water on him after she said: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
He was charged with first-degree murder, but the jury was allowed to convict him of the lesser charge of second-degree murder. Grayson faces up to 20 years in prison.
Police bodycam footage of the incident showed the chaotic moments that led to the shooting.
Officers arrived at the home and followed Massey inside when she entered her property, and watched as she searched for her ID.
In the video, Grayson sees a pot sitting on a lit stove, gestures towards it and says: “We don’t need a fire while we’re here.”
Massey walks to the stove to remove the cooking utensil. She and Grayson appear to laugh over her pot of “steaming hot water”, before she twice says: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
“You better [expletive] not or I swear to God I’ll [expletive] shoot you in your [expletive] face,” Grayson says. He then draws his pistol as he shouts for her to drop the pot.
“OK, I’m sorry,” Massey is heard saying before she ducks.
After shooting her, the officer says: “What else do we do? I’m not taking hot [expletive] boiling water to the [expletive] face.”
The video also captures Grayson telling his police partner that Massey would not need medical help.
As the other deputy tries to get a medical kit, the officer says: “She’s done. You can go get it, but that’s a head shot.”
Sangamon County, where the shooting happened, awarded the Massey family a $10m (£7.6m) settlement in February.