Springfield, IL  (CAPITOL CITY NOW) – The hearing set for Friday to determine pretrial release conditions for Sean Grayson has been pushed back to January. Grayson is facing first-degree murder charges in the shooting death of Sonya Massey at her home in July.

On Tuesday, the Fourth District Appellate Court put a 35-day pause on Grayson’s release saying in the official order, “This will allow the State to pursue a further stay of the mandate directly from the Supreme Court.”

Order: State of Illinois Fourth District Appellate Court Order – People of the State of Illinois v. Sean Grayson

The hearing is now scheduled for Jan. 2. The Fourth District Appellate Court ruled in November that a lower circuit court’s ruling to detain Grayson was improper.

Grayson was working as a Sangamon County deputy when he responded to a call of a prowler at Massey’s home. Body-worn camera footage shows Grayson shooting Massey after she removed a pot of water from the stovetop and said, “I rebuke you in name of Jesus.”