Over a year after Sonya Massey was shot and killed by former police officer Sean Grayson inside her own home, an Illinois jury has handed out a shocking verdict. After 12 hours of deliberation, Grayson was found guilty of second-degree murder, and Black Americans online have strong opinions about it all.
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Many celebrated Grayson’s conviction on X. “Finally some good news,” @CarterJahad said.
We previously told you Massey called police in July 2024 after suspecting someone was stalking her house. When officers– including Grayson– arrived, tensions rose all over a pot of boiling water. Massey went into the kitchen to bring the pot to her sink, and moments later Grayson shot her three times in the face.
“Rot in f*****g jail,” @acnewsitics wrote in response to his guilty verdict. The entire police interaction was caught on body camera footage. After Massey was shot, Grayson refused to aid her wounds.
“Once they said the jury looked heartbroken watching the full body cam footage, I knew he was going down,” @NameNormani began on X. “Thank God for common sense and empathy.”
The case was handled by civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who also represented Massey’s family in a civil lawsuit. They were awarded $10 million.
@starrf009 tweeted, “Thank You God And Ben Crump Team For Your Tireless Efforts In Never Giving Up On Behalf Of This Family And JUSTICE!”
“We shouldn’t have to celebrate convictions, we should be celebrating lives still here,” @youngblesstmoni said on X. “Sonya Massey deserved to grow old.”
Grayson was originally facing first-degree murder, but based on evidence, the jury ultimately decided to find him guilty of second degree murder. The trial last seven days, according to reports. Now, the ex-cop is facing up to 20 years in prison.
Others, like Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s daughter, expressed their disappointed with the court’s decision. Bernice King said on X, “This conviction matters but is not the totality of justice, which includes heart change and legislative change.” She added, “My heart goes out to Sonya’s family, whose loved one’s name is a hashtag because of Sean Grayson’s ‘trigger-happy policing.’”
“Sonya Massey called for help and was killed for it,” @ninaturner tweeted. “This isn’t justice. Justice is Sonya Massey still being alive. This is merely accountability.”
“It should’ve been 1st degree,” @lovemonae said. “The video is much more disturbing… They knew from that video, he wasn’t in any danger.”
@JET0D said on the app, “it gave first degree to me but i’m happy Sonya and her family got some justice here.”
@SageAmenti chose to see the silver lining in the verdict. “Still, a murder conviction against a cop is rare,” he said. “My condolences to Sonya Massey’s family.”
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