Ex-Illinois Deputy Who Killed Sonya Massey Dies in Prison

Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff's deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey, has died in prison. His attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed the death on Sunday but provided no further details.

Grayson, 32, was serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder in the July 2024 shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman. She had called 911 to report a possible prowler near her Springfield-area home.

Body camera footage showed Massey crouching in her kitchen and apologizing moments before Grayson fired three shots, striking her in the face. The other deputy on scene, Dawson Farley, later testified he did not view Massey as a threat.

Grayson was fired after the shooting and initially charged with first-degree murder. Jurors convicted him on the lesser charge after his defense argued he feared Massey would throw hot water at him.

Before the killing, Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer, which his attorneys said had spread to his liver and lungs. In May, he sought medical release under an Illinois law for prisoners with terminal illnesses. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied that request last month.

The case drew national attention and protests, raising questions about Grayson's employment history across multiple law enforcement agencies. In response, Illinois lawmakers passed the Sonya Massey Act, which requires agencies to more thoroughly review an applicant's prior employment records.

The Justice Department also opened a civil rights investigation and later reached an agreement with Sangamon County and its sheriff's office, mandating changes such as additional training for interactions with people with behavioral health disabilities and the development of a mobile crisis response program.