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PEORIA (25News Now) - The murder trial of Sean Grayson, the Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged with killing Sonya Massey in her home last year after calling police for help, began with a lengthy jury selection Monday morning. Grayson’s trial is expected to last two weeks, with juror selection accounting for at least the first two days. Sangamon County Chief Judge Ryan Cadigan will select from a pool of 100 potential jurors. As of 1:30 p.m. Monday, eight jurors were selected for the murder trial. The first group of prospective jurors consisted of 12 middle-aged adults and older folks, most of whom were white, and some of who were married with children. All but one person had heard of the case through media. They clarified that they would remain fair in their verdicts, despite prior knowledge of the case. Another three members of the group had medical concerns. Sangamon State’s Attorney John Milhiser questioned the potential jurors, asking if anyone knew any members of law enforcement. Six members of the group raised their hands, but they clarified it would not interfere with their verdict. One member of the group had previous law enforcement training, while another member supported law enforcement charities in the past. A third juror said he would be reluctant to return a guilty verdict on account of him having sat in on a murder trial before. Milhiser continued his questioning, asking if they believed a police officer has the right to use any amount of deadly force, referring to Grayson as a former law enforcement officer. The defense argued that calling Grayson a “former officer” implies a negative connotation and asked the judge to rephrase the question. Judge Hadigan overruled the objection, saying that calling Grayson a former officer is stating facts and shows a commitment to accuracy. The defense also had a chance to question the group. Attorney Daniel Fultz asked about the medical concerns of two prospective jurors, stating they may have a hard time delivering the verdict without frequent breaks. One of those jurors was also a victim of a home invasion, the defense argued. Additionally, Fultz said one of the potential jurors was a plaintiff in a 2023 lawsuit and had a former judge as a friend. The juror said none of that would influence their verdict. Another juror said they recently moved from Decatur, where they initially formed an opinion on the case by paying attention to social media and online videos. One juror was concerned about the high profile nature of the case, and another asked to speak to the judge privately. In the end, only three members of the first group made it to the jury box, with nine jurors returning to the room. Jury selection continued after a short break, with the second group of 12 jurors undergoing vetting. The second group looked similar to the first — most being white and married, except this group consisted of slightly younger individuals with higher education. Of the group, almost all members knew about the case, with three jurors affirming they could not stay fair due to outside media exposure. Two jurors in the group, on the other hand, had not heard about the case, entering the pool with no prior information. Milhiser claimed two jurors in the group had a relationship to law enforcement officers. He said two other jurors felt like they could not sit in judgment of someone else. One juror specified that they are not in the right frame of mind to be impartial. Another cited concerns about their previous jury duty experience, in which they claimed jurors wanted to conclude as quickly as possible. The defense asked that juror to speak up if they noticed similar behaviors during deliberation. This story will be updated. You can watch 25News - any newscast, anywhere - streaming LIVE on 25NewsNow.com, our 25News mobile app, and on our WEEK 25News SmartTV streaming app. Learn more about how you can get connected to 25News streaming live news here.
