Former Illinois deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey dies in prison

Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff's deputy who was convicted of second-degree murder for the July 2024 shooting of Sonya Massey, died on Sunday while serving a 20-year sentence. Grayson's attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed the death but declined to give further details.

Grayson, 32, had been sentenced in January to the maximum term after a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder, a lesser charge than the original first-degree murder indictment. Body-camera footage showed Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, crouching in her kitchen and apologizing moments before Grayson fired three shots to her face.

The incident began when Massey called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield-area home. Grayson and another deputy responded; video shows Grayson ordering her to move a pot of hot water, threatening to shoot, and then opening fire after she ducked behind a counter. The second deputy testified that he did not view Massey as a threat and only drew his weapon after Grayson did.

Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs before the shooting. He sought medical release under an Illinois law for terminally ill prisoners, but the Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied the request last month.

Massey's death prompted national protests and led to legislative and federal actions. Illinois lawmakers passed the Sonya Massey Act, tightening background-check requirements for law-enforcement hires. The Justice Department opened a civil-rights investigation and later reached an agreement with Sangamon County officials to implement additional training for interactions with individuals experiencing behavioral-health crises and to develop a mobile crisis response program.