All articles tagged with #second degree murder
Former Macon County deputy Sean Grayson, convicted of second-degree murder in Sonya Massey’s 2024 killing in Springfield, died in prison on Aug. 23, 2026, while serving a 20-year sentence; he had been diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread, but it’s not clear if cancer caused his death; Massey’s family later received a $10 million settlement from Sangamon County.
Former Illinois deputy Sean Grayson, convicted of fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her Springfield home after she reported a prowler, has died at 32 from stage 3 colon cancer, six months into a 20-year sentence; he had been denied medical release earlier this year. Massey’s killing, captured on bodycam, spurred protests and reforms including the Sonya Massey Act and a $10 million family settlement. Grayson apologized at sentencing, later arguing in a medical-release petition that Massey attacked him with boiling water.
Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy convicted of fatally shooting Sonya Massey in 2024 after her 911 call, died Sunday while serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder; he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, though it’s unclear if that contributed to his death, and Massey’s killing had sparked protests and led to a 2025 conviction.
Police say 24-year-old Hassan Haji surrendered to police and faces a second-degree murder charge after a deadly downtown Burlington stabbing that killed Deng Dau, 24. Investigators say the trio—Haji, Dau, and Shuaib Mohamud, 22—were involved in a fight behind Courthouse Plaza on Main Street; Haji stabbed Dau once in the groin, and Dau died at the hospital. Haji is held without bail awaiting a weight-of-evidence hearing on Aug. 27.
In Lawrenceville, Georgia, 29-year-old Deja Coleman is charged with second-degree murder after her 17‑month‑old son Daniel died in a locked car from near‑90-degree heat (117 degrees inside the car) while she was at work, with advocates arguing the case reflects an intentional murder charge for an accidental tragedy. The incident underscores how stress, sleep deprivation, and routine changes can trigger memory lapses that cause parents to forget a child in a car, and safety groups urge preventive steps and policy changes to reduce hot-car deaths.
Legend Storer, a 20-year-old naked swimmer and former college athlete, was charged with second-degree murder, burglary with a dangerous instrument and indecent exposure after he allegedly entered the Sands of Kahana resort in Lahaina, Maui, late at night and attacked security guard Michael Dyer with a five-gallon water bottle; Dyer died from his injuries, and Storer was captured about two hours later and is being held without bail, pleading not guilty. Hawaii’s law on crimes against kupuna could lead to harsher penalties.
A California woman, Yolanda Olejniczak Marodi, 54, admitted to killing her wife, Rebecca ‘Becky’ Marodi, 49, a Cal Fire captain, with a knife in February 2025, just after Becky had fought a major wildfire; Olejniczak Marodi had previously served about a decade for the 2000 voluntary manslaughter of her then-husband and fled to Mexico after the latest incident. She pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and faces 36 years to life in state prison, with sentencing set for September 2.
Baltimore police say James Fitzsimmons, 36, of Parkville has been charged with second-degree murder after a fight with James Britt, 37, that led to Britt being pushed into the Baltimore Harbor in Harbor East; Britt died at a hospital after being pulled from the water, with surveillance video cited in the case.
A 1-year-old died after being left in a hot car outside Northside Gwinnett Hospital in Lawrenceville. The mother, 29-year-old Deja Coleman, was arrested and charged with second-degree murder and second-degree cruelty to children; investigators say she dropped her older children at daycare but did not drop off the 1-year-old, then went to work in the hospital’s employee lot. The car’s interior temperature was about 117 degrees about an hour after the child was removed.
Colin Gray was sentenced in Barrow County to concurrent terms of 15 years for each of two second-degree murder counts and 10 years for each of two reckless-conduct counts after a 27-count conviction tied to the Apalachee High School shooting; prosecutors had sought 80 years, Colt Gray was sentenced to life without parole, and the judge highlighted negligence rather than intent, marking Georgia’s first case of a parent charged in a school shooting.
Luigi Mangione plans to mount an extreme emotional disturbance (psychiatric) defense in his New York state murder case over UnitedHealthcare CEO Brian Thompson’s December 2024 death; if proven, his second-degree murder charge could be reduced to first-degree manslaughter. Judge Gregory Carro unsealed a notice on affirmative psychiatric defense and required additional documentation by tomorrow. Mangione faces nine felonies including weapon counts and could face life in prison if convicted. The trial is set for September 8 with an August virtual hearing; prosecutors have introduced evidence such as a firearm and a notebook found on Mangione. NBC analysts note this defense is not insanity, but a high-bar emotional-disturbance claim.
A Portland man, Jesse Calhoun, has been charged with a fifth second-degree murder count in the deaths of five women, including Ashley Real and Charity Perry, and was arraigned in Multnomah County Circuit Court as investigators pursue a broader case.
Police say 22-year-old Kristin Scully stabbed 28-year-old Robert Michael Carragher Jr. in the neck while he slept at a Massapequa home, killing him; Carragher died in his father's arms. Scully was found hiding in the house with a pocketknife and is charged with second-degree murder as officers investigated the scene.
Betty Broderick, known for the 1989 killings of her ex-husband Dan Broderick and his new wife Linda Kolkena and serving a 32-years-to-life sentence, died at age 78 while in a California medical center after being moved from prison; authorities say the initial cause of death was natural, with a formal coroner’s review forthcoming.
A California appeals court has upheld Rebecca Grossman's February 2024 conviction for two counts of second-degree murder (along with related charges) in the September 2020 crosswalk killings of 11-year-old Mark Iskander and 8-year-old Jacob Iskander, who were struck while in a marked crosswalk in Westlake Village. Grossman is serving 15 years to life; the defense argued the evidence showed only manslaughter and lacked implied malice, but the court rejected that argument and left the verdict intact. Civil wrongful‑death suits against Grossman and a co-defendant are pending.