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.
Just minutes after Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy and other officers responded to Massey’s 911 call about a potential prowler outside her home Grayson shot and killed Massey in her kitchen when she checked on a pot of boiling water in her own kitchen while saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson later said he felt threatened by her, but he was fired from the sheriff’s office and charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery, and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty to all charges and 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.
“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.
Sangaman County Board member Sam Cahnman said he expects the resolution to approve the settlement with Massey’s family will be approved at Tuesday night’s board meeting.
“I think it will be approved, and I’m glad Sonya Massey’s family will now get some relief from this nightmare,” he said.
But how the county will pay up is still up in the air. Cahnman said he’s not sure how the county will afford the $10 million settlement.
“The strange thing is we have a settlement fund, and there’s only $1.5 million dollars in that fund,” he said.
Cahnman said Van Meter will have to clarify how this settlement while fulfilling the promise of avoiding a tax hike, additional borrowing, or service cuts.
“He has not explained where the money is to pay this settlement, and that’s something that I am demanding that he reveal to the county board before we vote on this on Tuesday evening,” Cahnman said.
For Massey’s family, the settlement is a victory in their pursuit for justice.
In recent statements, Massey’s family has said they will continue to hold a number of county officials accountable for the circumstances that led to her murder.
“We’re going to get justice for sure. I know. We are, for sure,” her son, Malachi Hill-Massey, said weeks after the shooting.
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.
