Illinois Prisoner Review Board denies medical release for former deputy convicted of Sonya Massey murder

A three-member Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted unanimously on Friday to deny former sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson an early medical release from his 20-year sentence for the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey in Springfield. Grayson, who was diagnosed with colon cancer that later spread to his liver and lungs, had applied for release six months into his term, claiming the victim had attacked him with a pot of boiling water.

Grayson was convicted in October of second-degree murder and received the maximum sentence. In a letter opposing the release, Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser wrote that the medical condition had already been considered at sentencing and that releasing Grayson would be “a miscarriage of justice” and “an insult to Sonya Massey’s memory and family.”

Attorneys for Massey’s family, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said the board’s decision was correct, emphasizing that no one is above accountability. Governor J.B. Pritzker noted that Illinois law requires the board to consider medical release requests and described Massey’s death as a loss for the community.

Grayson’s attorney declined to comment on the board’s ruling.