Illinois deputy charged with murder shot woman in face after ordering her to move pot of water

By Melissa Perez Winder, John O’Connor and Ed White | The Associated Press Undated photo of Sonya Massey. (Courtesy of Ben Crump Law via AP) SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (AP) — An Illinois sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the death of a Black woman shot her in the face during a tense moment over a pot of water in her home and then discouraged his partner from trying to save her, authorities said Thursday. The details were in a court document filed in support of keeping fired Sangamon County Deputy Sean Grayson in custody without bond. County Circuit Judge Ryan M. Cadagin agreed, denying Grayson pretrial release at a hearing Thursday in Springfield. In a courtroom guarded by a dozen sheriff’s deputies with three more patrolling the hall, Cadagin described the actions the former deputy is accused of as “such a departure from the expectations of a civil society.” Sonya Massey, 36, was killed at her home in Illinois’ capital city, about 200 miles (322 kilometers) south of Chicago, after deputies responded to her 911 call about a possible prowler early on July 6. Prosecutors alleged that after Grayson allowed Massey to move a pot of water heating on the stove...