Hodgetwins - Officer Grayson Testifies In Sonia Massey Case
Aired: 2025-10-30
Duration: 11:57


=== Fear of Coworker Over Victim (06:07) ===

[00:00:00]  Explosive new testimony from inside an Illinois court for the first time.
[00:00:04]  We're hearing from the partner of an ex-deputy who's accused of killing a black woman in her own home.
[00:00:09]  The partner says he was actually scared of his coworker and not the woman, Sonia Massey.
[00:00:14]  Sean Grayson's partner, you see him here in this court sketch, is telling the jury tonight that Massey never seemed to be a threat that night last July.
[00:00:22]  Massey had called police.
[00:00:23]  Remember late one night, she was worried about a prowler.
[00:00:26]  This is body cam video of Grayson and his partner responding to that call.
[00:00:30]  Things started getting tense when Grayson asked Massey to put down a pot of hot water that she had grabbed from the stove.
[00:00:35]  So this is her.
[00:00:35]  You see her walking over to it in this part of the body cam video.
[00:00:38]  We'll show you a video the next moment when Grayson fires his gun at Massey three times.
[00:00:42]  You've got to warn you, it is obviously hard to watch.
[00:00:58]  Yeah, if I was his partner, I'd been scared too.
[00:01:00]  Yeah.
[00:01:01]  And he said, yeah, responding to a burglary call.
[00:01:05]  He's treating a homeowner like she's a burglar.
[00:01:09]  Well, when I first thought that, when I first saw this, I was like, if you were so scared of that woman and that pot of boiling hot water, why are you moving closer to her within her range if she's going to throw it on you?
[00:01:21]  I think he wanted to shoot her.
[00:01:23]  Yeah.
[00:01:24]  You know what?
[00:01:24]  It's an evil thing to say, but I think you're right.
[00:01:27]  But they directed her to take the pot of boiling water off the stove.
[00:01:30]  Yeah.
[00:01:31]  Yeah.
[00:01:32]  Now, prosecutors say this body cam video proves that Massey was not actually a real threat to Grayson.
[00:01:38]  But Grayson's attorney argues that his client's actions were reasonable under the circumstances.
[00:01:44]  Grayson has pleaded not guilty to three counts of first-degree murder.
[00:01:46]  That's why I don't like Laura.
[00:01:48]  As court Maggie has just wrapped up in the last hour or so, and that very notable testimony today from Grayson's partner.
[00:01:55]  Tell us more about it.
[00:01:57]  Yeah, Holly, that was explosive.
[00:01:59]  He took the stand late in the day.
[00:02:00]  His name is Deputy Dawson Farley, and he basically was immediately questioned by prosecutors.
[00:02:06]  He was a witness for the prosecution about Sonia Massey and his feelings about what she did when she had that pot of water.
[00:02:11]  They were asking him things like, were you nervous based on what she was doing?
[00:02:15]  He said no.
[00:02:16]  They said, were you worried she was going to hurt you?
[00:02:19]  He said no.
[00:02:20]  Then he went on to clarify that he was indeed scared that night, but not of Massey.
[00:02:25]  Instead, he said he was scared of his partner, Sean Grayson.
[00:02:30]  I remember we saw the body cam footage when they came out the house and his partner was outside waiting for him.
[00:02:35]  Right.
[00:02:36]  I was looking up like, dude, I already seen the body cam.
[00:02:39]  You're guilty as sin.
[00:02:40]  Yeah, I know.
[00:02:41]  The way they was looking at him, like the nonverbal communication is like, man, I can't believe you just took that woman's life and you walk around like nothing happened.
[00:02:50]  Yeah, right?
[00:02:51]  Like you were justified.
[00:02:52]  There were protesters out here earlier today.
[00:02:54]  We relayed that tidbit of information to them from our producer inside the courtroom.
[00:02:58]  This was the organizer's reaction.
[00:03:02]  I'm not going to, well.
[00:03:06]  If your own partner was afraid of you that night, that means that you were unhinged.
[00:03:11]  That means that you had no business being on the police force.
[00:03:15]  Your job was to protect and serve.
[00:03:17]  And if your own partner was afraid of you, Sonia didn't have a chance.
[00:03:22]  With Sean Grayson being in her house that night, it was the devil at her doorstep.
[00:03:28]  Today, Grayson, or was it yesterday?
[00:03:31]  Sean Grayson, well, he actually testified on his own behalf.
[00:03:34]  I don't think he had a choice.
[00:03:36]  But I still wouldn't have took the stand if I was guilty as he was.
[00:03:39]  There's nothing you can say that's going to prove you're innocent.
[00:03:42]  Well, he tried to today, and he says the unthinkable.
[00:03:46]  Really?
[00:03:46]  I was like, you shouldn't even testify.
[00:03:48]  That was the dumbest thing I've ever heard.
[00:03:49]  Not only should he never testify, he should have never been a cop.
[00:03:53]  Yeah.
[00:03:54]  Check out what he has to say.
[00:03:55]  Testimony continues in the murder trial of the former Illinois debt.
[00:03:58]  That dude lost a lot of weight.
[00:04:01]  Wow.
[00:04:04]  Deputy accused of killing Sonia Massey in her home last year.
[00:04:08]  You see that?
[00:04:09]  You see the difference?
[00:04:10]  Like night and day.
[00:04:11]  Don't even recognize him.
[00:04:12]  Sean Grayson took the stand in his own defense this morning, and he recalled the night of the shooting, stating he believed Massey was threatening to throw a pot of boiling water on him.
[00:04:23]  Then again, if you really thought that, why are you moving closer?
[00:04:27]  Why don't you back up, 560?
[00:04:28]  Why don't you back up to the door with your gun drawer?
[00:04:30]  Put down the pot of boiling water and come towards me.
[00:04:33]  Right.
[00:04:34]  And you know what?
[00:04:35]  You remember, it was like he made a joke about the boiling water.
[00:04:40]  Yeah, that's why she did.
[00:04:41]  She got offended and says no in Jesus' name or something to that effect.
[00:04:45]  Right, right, yeah.
[00:04:46]  I'm just paraphrasing, but she was offended by his accusations.
[00:04:50]  He drew his weapon on her and unalived her.
[00:04:53]  It is crazy.
[00:04:54]  Yeah.
[00:04:55]  So prosecutors asked Grayson about his account of the shooting, which was written several days after Massey was killed.
[00:05:03]  Grayson's partner, the night of the shooting, already testified last week saying he was not afraid of Massey.
[00:05:09]  Instead, he was afraid of Grayson.
[00:05:12]  Grayson faces a maximum of life in prison for three counts of first-degree murder.
[00:05:18]  Anna Schechter, senior coordinating producer with CBS News Crime and Public Safety Unit, joining us live now.
[00:05:24]  Anna, how shocking was it that Grayson actually took the stand?
[00:05:28]  Well, I was really surprised this morning.
[00:05:32]  We thought maybe he might just to give his state of mind, but then boom, 9.05 a.m., he sat in that chair, and we were all who have been following this case so closely, just really shocked.
[00:05:47]  Wow.
[00:05:48]  Sean Grayson himself is on the stand right now testifying after all of these witnesses have been explaining that Sonia Massey was actually not a threat.
[00:06:01]  So this was a very big moment for those of us who have been following this case now for more than a year.

=== Taser Ineffective Against Clothing (04:59) ===

[00:06:08]  So Grayson said he used his gun rather than a taser because it would have been ineffective during the incident.
[00:06:14]  So a use of force expert also testified that Grayson's decision was justified.
[00:06:18]  So talk about that part of the testimony.
[00:06:22]  Sure, it's a great question because this was actually new information.
[00:06:26]  We know from the reports filed right after in the month after this event that he said he felt threatened by that boiling pot of water.
[00:06:35]  But we never knew he was even considering or thought about potentially using a taser instead of a gun.
[00:06:41]  He was asked this question on the stand today and he said that he was worried that a taser wouldn't work because a taser has to go through clothing and actually clutch onto the skin essentially.
[00:06:54]  That's how it works.
[00:06:56]  And that he says that he actually took the time to think that through and realize the taser wouldn't work and instead used a gun.
[00:07:04]  So we'll see how.
[00:07:07]  Do you believe that?
[00:07:08]  Do you feel like the taser would be ineffective against a woman in a nightgown?
[00:07:16]  Well, what's the point in having a taser?
[00:07:19]  What's the point?
[00:07:20]  Yeah, but my biggest issue with this is why you got to use deadly force.
[00:07:25]  You could have just simply walked out and told her to come outside or tell her to walk away from the pot.
[00:07:31]  You didn't give an opportunity.
[00:07:32]  You didn't give the woman an opportunity to do any of those things.
[00:07:35]  You just took life.
[00:07:37]  I think he wanted to shoot her.
[00:07:39]  That's why he moved forward.
[00:07:41]  Besides, partners in the background, he doesn't charge for it.
[00:07:44]  Only he does.
[00:07:45]  He wanted to do that.
[00:07:47]  And to reiterate what you just said, for him to say that that taser is ineffective against a nightgown, those are thin, flimsy.
[00:07:56]  It's a nightgown.
[00:07:56]  It's not like a sweater.
[00:07:57]  A nightgown.
[00:07:58]  It's like silky.
[00:08:00]  That nightgown has absolutely no chance against a taser.
[00:08:02]  Yeah.
[00:08:03]  It's going to go.
[00:08:04]  I've seen that thing grab a hold of jeans, sweaters, jackets, and people automatically lock up.
[00:08:09]  But they say it's got a tough skin.
[00:08:12]  But for him to say that would be ineffective against a nightgown to show how shows the incompetence and stupidity for taking the stand.
[00:08:20]  Or yeah, just or he's just lying.
[00:08:22]  Yeah.
[00:08:23]  A nightgown is not, it's ineffective against a nightgown.
[00:08:26]  That's nuts.
[00:08:27]  Well, why bother even having a taser down?
[00:08:29]  Yeah, because it's not it's ineffective against a nightgown.
[00:08:33]  That's yeah.
[00:08:34]  He's not credible at all when he says that.
[00:08:36]  Yeah.
[00:08:37]  And realize the taser wouldn't work and instead used a gun.
[00:08:40]  So we'll see how a jury reacts to that if they believe but that jumped out at me today because I've never seen any discussion of a taser being used.
[00:08:52]  But yes, you're absolutely right that the defense did call a use of force expert to the stand who said that Grayson was acting in self-defense and de-escalating the situation by firing that firearm because of that pot of boiling water.
[00:09:10]  That was his take and the defense is leaning heavily into that.
[00:09:16]  That is essentially their entire defense.
[00:09:20]  He has no defense.
[00:09:22]  That is crazy.
[00:09:23]  You can't justify showing up to a burglary call and you unalive the person who's calling you for help because you got you were suspicious of her picking up a pot of boiling water.
[00:09:35]  Yeah, I think he might have PTSD or something.
[00:09:38]  I don't know.
[00:09:39]  Yeah.
[00:09:39]  Something.
[00:09:40]  And I know he had prior jobs, prior employment with other police agents.
[00:09:43]  Yeah.
[00:09:44]  He was jumping from police department to police department.
[00:09:46]  And I'm sure there's a reason behind all of that.
[00:09:49]  His motivations in doing that.
[00:09:51]  Yeah.
[00:09:52]  Every time I see that, I was like, man, that is nuts.
[00:09:56]  If I was his partner, I would have been afraid to.
[00:09:58]  I'm like, man, this dude is nuts.
[00:10:00]  Yeah.
[00:10:00]  And it's obvious.
[00:10:02]  I mean, it's absolutely no one should condone this cop's behavior for unaliving that woman.
[00:10:09]  Well, there's some cops who believe he was justified, like Officer Tatum thinks he was justified.
[00:10:18]  I'm not laughing at Danza.
[00:10:20]  I'm laughing at Officer Tatum think that was justified.
[00:10:24]  If I remember a cop, and of all people, you say it's justified.
[00:10:27]  Well, I might be wrong, but I'm pretty sure when I saw his video, it was justified.
[00:10:31]  Oh, he totally said it.
[00:10:32]  I remember it.
[00:10:33]  Yeah.
[00:10:36]  But how is that justified?
[00:10:37]  Okay, if you like when a cop pulls a gun, let me say this.
[00:10:42]  Like when a cop pulls a gun on someone, because they have a gun, when the cop does that, the cop is also a lot of times try to take cover somewhere or back up, get in a position where he can't get hit.
[00:10:53]  Right, right.
[00:10:53]  Okay, if you've been trained to react in that, in that situation like that, why don't you react like that when somebody's got a pot of hot boiling water?
[00:11:03]  He never tried to seek cover.
[00:11:05]  He never backed up.
[00:11:06]  He came forward.

=== Justifying Deadly Force (00:49) ===

[00:11:07]  He wanted to shoot her.
[00:11:08]  And he never allowed her an opportunity to walk away from the pot of water.
[00:11:12]  Yeah.
[00:11:12]  She freaked out.
[00:11:13]  Yeah.
[00:11:14]  Yeah.
[00:11:15]  Crazy.
[00:11:16]  Of course they're not justified.
[00:11:17]  Anybody says that's justified, man.
[00:11:19]  You live in a police state.
[00:11:22]  I don't live in a police.
[00:11:22]  That's a very false sense of reality because you can never justify, never, never justify, you know, responding to a burglar call to help someone because there's a burglary in progress.
[00:11:33]  And you show up and shoot the homeowner.
[00:11:35]  Yeah, the woman.
[00:11:36]  After you've determined that she's not the burglar.
[00:11:40]  I mean, there's situations where that can happen.
[00:11:43]  Right.
[00:11:44]  If they get violated, she pulled a weapon.
[00:11:46]  They identified her as the homeowner.
[00:11:48]  Yeah.
[00:11:49]  She's in a nightgown with a bonnet on.
[00:11:51]  Wasn't she wearing a bonnet and a nightgown?
[00:11:53]  Yeah.
[00:11:54]  He shot her for picking up a pot of.
[00:11:56]  Yeah.