Sean Grayson, Ex-Cop Convicted of Sonya Massey's Murder, Passes Away in Custody

Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who was serving a twenty-year prison sentence for the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a single mother, has died. His attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed to The Post that Grayson, aged 32, passed away early on Sunday, August 23. The ex-deputy had previously been diagnosed with colon cancer before the July 2024 shooting incident, and by January, his legal counsel had indicated that the cancer had progressed to his liver and lungs.

Despite his deteriorating health, a three-member Illinois Prisoner Review Board had unanimously rejected Grayson’s application for an early medical release in July. Fultz, however, could not confirm if Grayson’s death was directly linked to his cancer diagnosis. At the time of his death, Grayson was six months into his 20-year sentence for second-degree murder. He had been convicted for fatally shooting Massey in her Springfield, Illinois, residence on July 6, 2024, after she placed a 911 call reporting a potential prowler.

Body camera footage from the incident revealed that Grayson, who is white, shot Massey, a 36-year-old Black single mother, in the face. This occurred as she moved a pot of hot water from her stove, telling him, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” The footage also showed Grayson yelling at Massey and drawing his pistol, prompting her to say, “I’m sorry,” and duck before he fired three shots. Following the shooting, the officer was heard telling his partner at the scene that a medical kit was not needed to assist Massey, who had sustained a gunshot wound to her face.

Grayson and his defense team maintained that he acted out of fear that Massey intended to scald him with the hot water. The former Sangamon County deputy was found guilty of second-degree murder in October, a verdict that followed significant protests against systemic racism and a review by the U.S. Department of Justice. He received the maximum possible prison sentence for the shooting in January.

Attorneys representing Massey’s family, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, released a statement on Sunday evening. While extending prayers to Grayson’s family, they emphasized that his death “does not bring Sonya back.” Their statement to WLS read, “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.”