In Chicago, the jury is still deliberating in the high-profile murder trial of former Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson, who faces charges of first-degree murder for the shooting of Sonya Massey.

Initially, Nexstar’s WCIA reported that a verdict had been reached, but WGN News clarified the situation with confirmation from a Peoria County Sheriff’s Deputy. It turns out the jury was actually seeking clarification on certain instructions, indicating that the deliberations are ongoing.

The confusion arose when jurors struggled to understand a particular set of instructions. This prompted Judge Ryan Cadigan of Sangamon County to call for a brief recess to review some details of the case study. While the judge suggested sending the jury a clearer set of instructions, the defense team opposed this, fearing it might lead to even greater misunderstanding.

Deliberations began on Tuesday, following the closing arguments presented in the trial. The jury now holds the fate of the case in their hands.

The incident at the heart of the trial occurred in July 2024, when Grayson and his partner were dispatched to Massey’s home in response to a 911 call. Massey had reported a potential break-in, but the situation escalated tragically during a conflict involving a pot of hot water.

Neither side disputes that Grayson pulled the trigger, but the case centers around whether it was justified.  

Grayson took the stand in his own defense on Monday, where he said he felt Massey may have been under the influence of something. He conceded that he failed to turn on his body camera, unlike his partner, who did so upon arrival.

On the stand, Grayson said he reacted to a threat, saying, “Then she picked up the pot and walked towards me. I wasn’t quite sure what she was going to do. She put on oven mitts, which made me believe she knew the pot was very hot.”

“I took it as a threat. It raises a lot of concern for me, and I believed she was going to throw the water.” 

The former deputy testified he did not believe a Taser would have worked. The defense rested its case after four witnesses took the stand. The prosecution did not call any rebuttal witnesses.

During the trial, prosecutors argued Grayson violated several Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office policies, including not turning on his body camera, two for personal conduct, and for improper use of force.

After the jury was sent home on Monday, the prosecution and defense met to discuss jury instructions. One key instruction the judge is allowing will be for the jury to consider convicting Grayson of second-degree murder, a less-severe felony that would be punishable by four to 20 years in prison, far less than the minimum 45 years of first-degree murder, based on the way prosecutors charged the case.