Peoria, IL (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – Only one witness testified Friday in the trial of Sean Grayson, facing three counts of First Degree Murder for the death in July, 2024 of Sonya Massey in Springfield.  He’s the second expert witness to get heavy scrutiny from the defense.

Former Tallahassee, Florida police officer Seth Stoughton, a law professor at the University of South Carolina, is also the director of a program there called “Excellence in Public Safety and Police.”  Stoughton describes it has a training program for some officers, but mostly “police executives.”

Stoughton reviewed the police body camera video recorded the night of Massey’s death, even going to the length of synchronizing the video from both.  Not only did Grayson turn his body camera on 12 minutes after his partner did, it does show areas of concern that are more serious — like when Grayson cut in front of his partner to draw his weapon, and, like a previous expert witness, moved closer and used language to escalate the situation and not deescalate it.  Deputy Dawson Farley, in line with training, stepped backward when it was known there was pot of boiling water on Massey’s stove.

Stoughton said Grayson should have taken more seriously conclusions made about potential mental health problems.

And, almost everything Grayson did in Massey’s Hoover Avenue home was “tactically unsound, professionally inappropriate…contributed to the shooting of Ms. Massey.”

In cross-examination attempts by defense attorney Mark Wykoff to question credibility of Stoughton, Stoughton admitted that while he was a Tallahassee officer “I never pulled a trigger,” but was part of the response in a few use of force incidents.

Stoughton did a report for the Sangamon County State’s Attorney on best and generally-accepted practices, but admitted on the stand he did not review any written Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department policies or procedures.  Wykoff did read some of the policies to Stoughton, admitting many are indeed generally-accepted.  That included one, as read by Wykoff, “a deputy may use deadly force to protect him/herself or others from what he/she reasonably believes to be an imminent threat of death of great bodily injury,” since the defense claims Grayson acted in self-defense.  Stoughton emphasized Grayson’s actions were “professionally inappropriate actions.”

Stoughton testified that it can be perceived, though, that Grayson was in danger the second time Massey picked up the pot, but it appears on video that and the shots being fired at Massey happened at the same exact time.

But, that wasn’t where Wykoff ended his examination.  In his written report on the matter, Stoughton was chastised for including a large number of footnotes from a book he co-authored, “Evaluating Police Uses of Force.”  Stoughton was called a “self-licking ice cream cone” — seemingly to suggest that he was only out for personal gain by using his report, like he “is on a book tour,” said Wykoff.  Stoughton said he only gets about nine cents per copy of his book sold, he wasn’t the only offer, and the book itself references other scholarly works and other people.

“You’re one of the three people who actually bought the book,” said Stoughton.  Wykoff displayed a copy in court, suggesting that even he bought a copy.  Stoughton said the book is about generally-accepted police practices, not necessarily advocating for best practices.

Wikipedia defines “self-licking ice cream cone” as, “in political jargon…a self-perpetuating system that has no purpose other than to sustain itself.”  It can also be defined as work that repeats itself, or, in an Air Force Academy document referencing the “Double Tongue Dictiomary,” “a process, department, institution, or other thing that offers few benefits and exists primarily to justify or perpetuate its own existence.”

The trial is now in recess until Monday at 9 a.m.  Attorneys feel that if the defense starts its case on Monday, jury deliberations could begin as soon as Wednesday.

Outside the courtroom

With limited exceptions, there have been presences throughout this first week of people wanting to keep Sonya Massey’s memory alive, and keep Grayson in prison.  There have been more than a few rallies at the corner of Main and Jefferson in downtown Peoria throughout the week.  But on Friday afternoon once court was recessed for the day, this was different.

The rally-goers were met Friday with someone playing, as loud as they could, Lee Greenwood’s “God Bless the USA.”  No one could be sure, but it seemed to be coming from an office window in a facility that housed the Illinois Department of Human Services.  At least one rally-goer tried to drown out the playing of the song with siren noise from a megaphone.  Another said that it was offensive to suggest that the rally-goers didn’t love America, because they did, wanting what they said was right:  justice for Sonya Massey.

Some passing Peoria Police officers, though, also got the ire of some of the rally-goers.

A live blog on this website of trial coverage will resume Monday morning.  There will also be updates on the Capitol City Now Facebook page, and frequent reports on Newstalk 93.9 and AM 1240 WTAX.