Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy convicted of second-degree murder for fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her own home, died Sunday while serving his sentence, his attorney confirmed. Grayson, 32, had stage IV colon cancer that had spread to his liver and lungs.
Massey, 36, called 911 on July 6, 2024, to report a prowler outside her Springfield-area home. Body camera footage showed Grayson shooting her in the face after she picked up a pot of water from her stove; Grayson claimed self-defense at trial, but a jury convicted him of second-degree murder last October, and he was sentenced to 20 years.
The Denied Release Request
In July 2026, Grayson’s legal team petitioned for compassionate release under Illinois’ medical release law for terminally ill inmates. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied the request weeks before his death, meaning he remained in custody through his final illness rather than being released to receive care outside prison.
How Massey’s Family Responded
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, who represented Massey’s family, released a statement saying “Sean Grayson’s death in custody from cancer does not bring Sonya back.” The case remains one of the more closely watched police use-of-force prosecutions in recent years, both for the body camera footage and for resulting in an actual murder conviction, an outcome that’s still rare in fatal police shooting cases.
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