Sean Grayson, former Illinois deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey,
dies in prison, lawyer says
[August 24, 2026]
CHICAGO (AP) — Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff’s deputy whose
fatal shooting of Sonya Massey inside her home became a flashpoint over
police use of force, died Sunday while serving a 20-year prison
sentence.
Grayson’s attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed that his client died earlier
Sunday but declined to provide any further details.
Grayson, 32, was convicted of second-degree murder in October in the
fatal shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had reported a
possible prowler outside her Springfield-area home. Body camera video of
the July 2024 encounter showed Massey crouching in her kitchen and
apologizing moments before Grayson shot her in the face.
He was sentenced in January to the maximum 20 years in prison.
Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer before Massey’s killing,
and his attorneys said at his sentencing that the disease had spread to
his liver and lungs. In May, only months into his sentence, he sought
medical release under an Illinois law for prisoners with terminal
illnesses or serious medical conditions. The Illinois Prisoner Review
Board denied his request last month.
Massey called 911 early on July 6, 2024, to report someone prowling
outside her home. Grayson and another Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy
responded.
Video showed Grayson directing Massey to remove a pot of hot water from
the stove. As she held the pot, Massey told the deputies, “I rebuke you
in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson threatened to shoot her, drew his handgun and ordered her to
drop the pot. Massey apologized and ducked behind a kitchen counter
before Grayson fired three times.
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This booking photo provided by the Macon County, Ill., Jail in
January 2025, shows Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County Sheriff's
deputy who is charged with first-degree murder in the shooting death
of Sonya Massey on July 6, 2024, in Springfield, Ill. (Macon County
Jail via AP, File)
The other deputy, Dawson Farley, later testified that he did not
consider Massey a threat and drew his own weapon only after Grayson
did.
Grayson was fired after the shooting and charged with first-degree
murder. Jurors convicted him of the lesser charge of second-degree
murder after Grayson argued that he feared Massey would throw the
hot water at him.
Massey’s killing drew national attention and protests and raised
questions about how Grayson had moved through several law
enforcement agencies before being hired by the Sangamon County
Sheriff’s Office.
Illinois lawmakers later passed the Sonya Massey Act, requiring law
enforcement agencies to more closely review an applicant’s previous
employment records before hiring an officer.
The Justice Department also opened a civil rights investigation
after Massey’s death and later reached an agreement with Sangamon
County, its sheriff’s office and other agencies requiring changes to
policing and emergency response. Those changes included additional
training for interactions with people with behavioral health
disabilities and development of a mobile crisis response program.
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