She called for help—and ended up dead.
In the early hours of July 6, 2024, 36-year-old Sonya Massey dialed 911 to report a prowler near her Springfield, Illinois home. Minutes later, she was shot in the face by a responding sheriff’s deputy. Unarmed. In her own kitchen. In front of a boiling pot of water and a prayer.
In this episode, Dr. Dee unpacks the heartbreaking story of Sonya Massey—a devoted mother, beloved daughter, and woman of faith—and the system that not only failed to protect her but helped shield the man who killed her. From the chilling bodycam footage to the courtroom drama that ended in a second-degree murder conviction, this episode exposes how justice was delayed, diluted, and defined by systemic failure.
We trace the outrage, the protests, the political reckoning, and the reforms that followed. And we honor the light Sonya carried—and the legacy her family now fights to protect.
Trigger warning: This episode contains details involving police violence, mental health crisis, and gun violence.
🕯️ Say her name. Sonya Massey.
🎙️ Listen now on Buzzsprout, Spotify, Apple Podcasts, and YouTube.
#JusticeForSonya #CigarAndACrime #TheSmokeNeverLies #TrueCrimePodcast #PoliceAccountability
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
My Favorite Murder with Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark
My Favorite Murder is a true crime comedy podcast hosted by Karen Kilgariff and Georgia Hardstark. Each week, Karen and Georgia share compelling true crimes and hometown stories from friends and listeners. Since MFM launched in January of 2016, Karen and Georgia have shared their lifelong interest in true crime and have covered stories of infamous serial killers like the Night Stalker, mysterious cold cases, captivating cults, incredible survivor stories and important events from history like the Tulsa race massacre of 1921. My Favorite Murder is part of the Exactly Right podcast network that provides a platform for bold, creative voices to bring to life provocative, entertaining and relatable stories for audiences everywhere. The Exactly Right roster of podcasts covers a variety of topics including historic true crime, comedic interviews and news, science, pop culture and more. Podcasts on the network include Buried Bones with Kate Winkler Dawson and Paul Holes, That's Messed Up: An SVU Podcast, This Podcast Will Kill You, Bananas and more.