On July 6, 2024, Sonya Massey did what millions of Americans are told to do when they feel unsafe. She called 911 for help. She was alone in her home in Springfield, Illinois, and believed someone might be outside. Two sheriff’s deputies responded. Less than an hour later, Sonya was dead, shot inside her own kitchen by Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson. The body camera footage would later show Sonya apologizing, raising her hands, and trying to comply in the moments before the fatal shot was fired. Her death sparked national outrage, federal scrutiny, and protests across the country, but behind the headlines was a family left to live with the reality of what happened.

In this episode of Unheard: True Crime in Their Own Words, Justin Shepherd sits down with Sonya’s cousin, Sontae Massey, for a deeply personal and emotional conversation about who Sonya really was and what her loss has meant to those who loved her most. Sontae shares what Sonya was like beyond the news coverage, the moment the family learned she had been killed, and the painful aftermath that followed. She speaks openly about the investigation, the courtroom revelations, and the questions her family still carries. She also discusses the creation of the Massey Commission, formed in Sonya’s name to push for accountability, transparency, and systemic change.

This conversation goes beyond the incident itself and explores the broader impact on a family, a community, and a country still grappling with issues of trust, justice, and accountability. It is a story about grief, resilience, and the determination to make sure Sonya Massey is remembered not just for how she died, but for who she was.

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In this episode of Unheard, Justin sits down with legendary journalist Ashleigh Banfield for an honest conversation about truth, trauma, and the media machine that shapes how the world sees tragedy.

Ashleigh reflects on her journey from small-town newsrooms to the center of history, including being in New York on 9/11, running for her life when the towers collapsed, and continuing to report in the aftermath. She opens up about the emotional toll of covering national tragedies like Sandy Hook, high-profile cases like Casey Anthony, and war zones around the world, and how those experiences permanently changed the way she approaches journalism.

The conversation explores the responsibility of reporters in moments of crisis, the harm caused by conspiracy culture, and why empathy is not optional when telling stories involving victims and survivors. Ashleigh also talks about her evolution beyond traditional news and her work today as the host of the podcast Drop Dead Serious, where she continues to examine complex cases with depth, integrity, and compassion.

This episode is a rare look behind the headlines and into the mind of someone who has spent a lifetime bearing witness to history.

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He used to be a police officer who believed in the system. He wore a badge, took an oath, and built a career around enforcing the law. Years later, he was on the other side of it, charged in a bank heist that cost him his freedom and permanently altered the trajectory of his life.

In this episode of Unheard, I sit down with Gary Sahlin to talk about how that transformation happened. Not in a motivational way. Not in a neatly packaged redemption arc. But in an honest, uncomfortable way that walks through the choices, pressures, and internal shifts that led a trained law enforcement officer to cross into criminal behavior.

We talk about what was happening in his life before the robbery, how he justified what he was doing at the time, and the moment everything finally collapsed. He speaks openly about the crime, the arrest, federal prison, and what it’s like to live with a decision you can’t undo. There’s no attempt to minimize the damage or rewrite history. He owns what he did and talks about the consequences that followed.

This is one of the most interesting stories you’ve probably never heard, not because it’s flashy, but because it exposes how thin the line can be between stability and self-destruction, between identity and illusion, and between who we believe we are and who we actually become.

The conversation isn’t about glamorizing crime. It’s about reality. It’s about accountability. And it’s about hearing directly from someone who has lived on both sides of the justice system.

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