“I made a lot of mistakes that night. There were points when I should’ve acted, and I didn’t. I froze,” Grayson said, according to the Associated Press.
“I made terrible decisions that night. I’m sorry.”
Family said that Massey, a 36-year-old mother of two, had struggled with mental health issues long before the morning of July 6 when she dialled 911 to report someone was prowling outside her Springfield home.
Grayson, who was one of two deputies who responded, shot Massey in her home, later saying he feared for his life.
Outside the courtroom, Massey’s family members thanked the community for its support and praised the efforts of prosecutors, while noting they viewed the sentence as insufficient.
The family had sought first-degree murder charges, which could have sent Grayson to prison for life.
“I’m grateful that we got the maximum sentence that we could,” said Massey’s daughter, Summer.
“But 20 years is not enough.”
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