Sean Grayson, Ex-Deputy Convicted of Murdering Sonya Massey, Dies in Prison at 32

Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff's deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey in her Springfield home, died Sunday, according to his attorney Daniel Fultz. He was 32.

Fultz told NBC News that Grayson died around noon Sunday but declined to give further details. CBS News and The Independent both reported he had been battling Stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs and rectum.

Grayson was six months into a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.

What happened in July 2024

Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, called 911 shortly before 1 a.m. on July 6, 2024, to report a possible prowler outside her home in Woodside Township near Springfield. Grayson and his partner, Deputy Dawson Farley, responded.

Body camera footage, cited by NBC News, ABC News and CBS News, showed Massey acting confused and repeatedly saying, "Please, God." Inside her kitchen, she picked up a pot of hot water from the stove. Grayson backed away and told her, according to the bodycam audio, "You'd better f---ing not. I swear to God, I'll f---ing shoot you right in your f---ing face."

Massey responded, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus." Grayson drew his weapon and ordered her to drop the pot. Massey said "I'm sorry" and ducked behind the counter. Grayson fired three times, striking her in the face.

According to Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser, Grayson declined to render aid afterward. Massey was pronounced dead at St. John's Hospital in Springfield.

Farley testified at trial that he was not afraid of Massey during the encounter. He said he only drew his own weapon because Grayson had drawn his, and that he never interpreted Massey's remark about rebuking him "in the name of Jesus" as a threat.

Grayson testified in his own defense that he believed Massey intended to throw the boiling water on him and that his gun was "the only thing I had to stop the threat."

The verdict and sentence

A jury convicted Grayson last October of second-degree murder, rejecting the more serious first-degree murder charge prosecutors originally filed. He was sentenced in January to the maximum 20 years.

First Assistant State's Attorney Mary Beth Rodgers told the court at sentencing: "'I'm sorry.' That is the last thing Sonya Massey said before the defendant murdered her, just like he said he would."

The shooting set off protests in Illinois and in cities including New York, Chicago and Atlanta, according to The Independent. It also triggered scrutiny of how Grayson had cycled through multiple law enforcement agencies before Sangamon County hired him. In response, Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signed the Sonya Massey Act, which requires agencies to more thoroughly vet an applicant's prior employment history before hiring. NBC News reported the law took effect at the start of this year.

Sangamon County agreed to a $10 million settlement with Massey's family in early 2025, according to NBC News.

The cancer diagnosis and denied release

Grayson's attorneys disclosed at his January sentencing that he had been diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, before the shooting. By late July, station WCIA reported the cancer had advanced to Stage 4 and spread to his liver, lungs and rectum. Grayson sought medical release under an Illinois law covering prisoners with terminal or serious medical conditions.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted 3-0 to deny that request last month. Fultz told The Post he could not say whether Grayson's death was connected to the cancer.

Reaction from Massey's family

Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, attorneys for Massey's family, issued a statement Sunday: "Sonya Massey's death was unjustifiable, and she should be alive today. Sean Grayson's death in custody from cancer does not bring Sonya back. We wish his family prayers of peace, as we do for all who grieve a loved one. Sonya's family knows that pain all too well and will grieve her loss the rest of their days."

What's still unresolved

The Illinois Department of Corrections has not yet detailed the official cause of death. CBS News Chicago said it had reached out to the department but had not received a response as of Sunday night. Whether Grayson's death was directly tied to his cancer or some other complication remains unconfirmed by state officials.