An Illinois Appellate Court has extended the detention of former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, charged with the July murder of Sonya Massey, for an additional 35 days.
The order, issued Tuesday, provides the state with more time to petition the Illinois Supreme Court for further action. Unless the state’s highest court intervenes, Grayson will be released on January 2, 2025.
Grayson, 30, is charged with first-degree murder in the July 6 shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, in her Springfield home. Massey had called 911 to report a suspected prowler near her residence. During the encounter, Grayson fired three shots at Massey following a tense exchange, a case that has drawn national attention.
The appellate court’s decision follows its unanimous November 27 ruling that Grayson be granted a new hearing to reconsider whether he should remain in custody before trial. That decision overturned a prior circuit court ruling, which had denied Grayson’s release without sufficiently proving that no conditions could mitigate the danger he might pose to the community.
Prosecutors continue to argue that Grayson should remain detained, citing public safety concerns and his actions during the July 6 incident.
In a statement, the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office said, "We have filed today in the Illinois Supreme Court a Petition for Leave to Appeal asking the Court to review the Illinois Appellate Court decision issued on November 27, 2024, ordering the release of Sean Grayson with conditions. We appreciate the willingness of the Appellate Court to stay its mandate to allow the Supreme Court the opportunity to determine whether it will review the case. The Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office remains committed to seeking the continued pretrial detention of Sean Grayson. Defendant Grayson has demonstrated that he cannot comply with conditions and is a danger to the community after his inexplicable actions on July 6, 2024, when he shot Sonya Massey.
"We agree with the Circuit Court's determination that Grayson should be detained and its finding, as required by the SAFE-T Act when pretrial release is denied, that Defendant Grayson poses a threat to the community that cannot be mitigated with conditions. We are hopeful that the Illinois Supreme Court will agree to hear the case and affirm the detention order. However, if the courts determine that the evidence presented to the Circuit Court, including the videos, is not sufficient to detain Defendant Grayson under the law as it exists, then the law needs to be changed."