CHICAGO (CBS) — Sangamon County officials have reached a $10 million settlement agreement with the family of Sonya Massey, who was shot and killed in her home by a sheriff’s deputy last year after calling 911.
According to a memo obtained by CBS News, county officials negotiated the $10 million settlement through mediation following “extensive confidential discussions” between attorneys for the county and lawyers for Massey’s family.
Massey, 36, was shot and killed in her home near Springfield on July 6, 2024.
Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson and other sheriff’s deputies responded to a call about a possible prowler at her home, and Grayson shot Massey when she checked on a pot of boiling water in her own kitchen while saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson, 30, was fired from the sheriff’s department has been charged with first-degree murder in the deadly shooting. He remains in jail, but is fighting in court to be released from custody while he awaits trial.
The $10 million settlement with Massey’s family must be approved by the Sangamon County Board, and a source on the board said the settlement is expected to be approved at the next meeting on Feb. 11.
“This settlement is part of Sangamon County’s ongoing efforts to address the tragic death of Sonya Massey. In addition to this agreement, the county is focused on improving its policies and practices through its memorandum of agreement with the U.S. Department of Justice. That agreement establishes measures to refine crisis response, enhance training, and build community trust,” Sangamon County Board Chairman Andy Van Meter wrote in a memo to the county board.
The memo also states the settlement will not require any tax increase, and the county will not take on any additional debt or reduce any services to pay for the settlement.
“No price paid can take back the actions of a rogue former deputy, but this agreement is an effort to provide some measure of recompense to the Massey family for their unimaginable loss. The county remains committed to working with the community to strengthen policies to try to ensure tragedies like this never happen again,” Van Meter wrote.
Feb. 12 would have been Massey’s 37th birthday, and her family is planning a demonstration at the state capitol that day.
The Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office agreed last month to be monitored by the U.S. Justice Department for two years, but the future of that agreement is uncertain. Civil rights agreements reached at the end of the Biden administration are now under review by officials in President Trump’s Justice Department.
Meantime, a coalition of county board members have sent a letter to the Massey Commission – a citizens’ panel formed in response to Massey’s murder – requesting they ask the Illinois Attorney General or Illinois State Police to investigate the Sangamon County Sheriff’s office, saying they don’t believe the Justice Department agreement is adequate or will be enforced. The commission will address that request at their next meeting on Feb. 10.
