Former Sangamon County deputy convicted of murder dies in prison while battling colon cancer

Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who was convicted of second-degree murder for the 2024 shooting of Sonya Massey, died in prison on Sunday, his attorney said. Grayson, 32, had been serving a 20-year sentence with a subsequent two-year supervised release period when he succumbed to an illness. He had been diagnosed with stage-4 colon cancer and was receiving treatment, though officials have not confirmed the illness as the direct cause of death.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board had recently denied Grayson’s request for medical release, ordering him to remain incarcerated despite his advanced cancer. The Department of Corrections has not responded to inquiries about his death.

Massey, 36, had called police in July 2024 after reporting a possible prowler at her home. Grayson and another officer responded. Body-camera footage captured a confrontation in which Massey, holding a pot of water, was warned by Grayson to drop it. The video shows Grayson issuing a threat before firing three shots that killed Massey.

"You’d better not. I swear to God, I’ll shoot you right in your face," Grayson is heard saying in the recording, according to prosecutors.

The incident led to Grayson’s conviction last October and his subsequent imprisonment.