In Peoria, Illinois, a significant trial has reached a pivotal moment as a jury deliberates on the fate of a sheriff’s deputy accused of first-degree murder. The case involves the tragic shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who had called 911 for assistance in her Springfield home, only to be fatally shot by Deputy Sean Grayson. The incident unfolded after Massey, reportedly in the midst of a mental health crisis, was handling a pan of hot water in a manner that Grayson perceived as threatening.

The jury, composed of eight women and four men, began their deliberations on Tuesday morning, shortly after receiving the case. Their task is to determine whether Grayson, aged 31, is guilty of first-degree murder, which could result in a sentence ranging from 45 years to life imprisonment. Additionally, they have the option to consider a verdict of second-degree murder, carrying a potential sentence of four to 20 years.

The incident that led to this trial occurred on the morning of July 6, 2024. Grayson, accompanied by another deputy, responded to Massey’s emergency call about a prowler outside her home. What transpired next became the focal point of the courtroom drama.

During the closing arguments, prosecutors painted Grayson as “an angry man with a gun,” whose frustration with Massey’s erratic behavior exacerbated the situation. They argued that his impatience led to a deadly escalation.

In contrast, Grayson’s defense team contended that the deputy acted in self-defense. They explained that Grayson had issued clear warnings to Massey to drop the pan of hot water she was holding. According to the defense, he only discharged his weapon after Massey, in a state of confusion, picked up the pan once more, allegedly threatening to throw it at him while exclaiming, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Massey’s killing raised new questions about U.S. law enforcement shootings of Black people in their homes. The accompanying publicity, protests and legal action over the incident prompted Judge Ryan Cadagin to move the trial from Springfield, 200 miles (320 kilometers) southwest of Chicago, to Peoria, an hour’s drive north of the capital city, because of pre-trial publicity.

In an unusual step for a defendant in a murder case, Grayson testified in his own defense. Grayson said he considered using a Taser to subdue her but was afraid it wouldn’t work given his distance from Massey and the counter separating them. He said he determined that Massey was a threat and drew his 9 mm pistol only after she uttered her “rebuke” twice — although prosecutors pointed out that was because he didn’t hear her the first time and asked her to repeat it.

Second-degree murder applies when there is a “serious provocation” which causes “a reasonable person to become impassioned or if an incident can be characterized as ”imperfect self-defense,” in which defendants believe their actions are justified even if that belief is unreasonable.