Sean Grayson, ex-deputy convicted in Sonya Massey killing, dies in prison at 32

Former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson, who was convicted of second-degree murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, has died while serving a 20-year prison sentence, his attorney confirmed Sunday, August 23, 2026. Grayson was 32.

Daniel Fultz, Grayson’s attorney, confirmed his client’s death but did not provide details about the circumstances or location of the death. The Illinois Department of Corrections had not immediately released information about the time or manner of death. Grayson was in state custody at the time.

His death comes only weeks after the Illinois Prisoner Review Board unanimously rejected his request for medical release. Grayson had been seeking medical release while battling advanced cancer that had spread beyond its original site. The board voted 3-0 on July 31 to keep him in custody.

Sean Grayson died while serving 20-year sentence

Grayson was sentenced to 20 years in prison on January 29, 2026, after a Peoria County jury convicted him of second-degree murder in October 2025 for the July 2024 killing of 36-year-old Sonya Massey.

The sentence was the maximum available for the second-degree murder conviction. It was followed by two years of mandatory supervised release, and Grayson received credit for time already spent in custody.

The jury had rejected the prosecution's first-degree murder case but found Grayson guilty of the lesser offense after a trial that attracted national attention. He had originally faced three counts of first-degree murder, along with aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct charges.

At his sentencing, Grayson acknowledged making serious mistakes on the night Massey was killed and apologized to her family.

“I made terrible decisions that night. I’m sorry,” Grayson said during the January hearing, according to reports from the sentencing.

Sonya Massey shooting followed 911 call for help

Massey was killed in the early hours of July 6, 2024, at her home in Springfield, Illinois, after she called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her residence.

According to the Illinois State Police, Sangamon County sheriff’s deputies responded to the 911 call at approximately 12:50 a.m. Massey was subsequently shot and taken to a hospital, where she was pronounced dead. The Sangamon County coroner determined that her cause of death was a gunshot wound to the head and classified the manner of death as homicide.

Body-camera footage from the responding deputies later became central to the investigation and prosecution.

The footage showed Massey and the deputies inside her home as she handled a pot of hot water. Grayson told her to move the pot from the stove. As Massey complied, Grayson expressed concern about the hot water before drawing his firearm.

Massey subsequently said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson threatened to shoot her, according to accounts of the footage and trial evidence. Massey apologized and moved behind a kitchen counter before Grayson fired three shots, striking her once in the face.

Grayson later maintained that he believed Massey posed a threat because of the boiling water. Prosecutors argued that he unnecessarily escalated the encounter and that Massey was attempting to comply rather than attack him.

The jury ultimately found him guilty of second-degree murder, concluding that his belief that deadly force was justified did not excuse the shooting.

Grayson’s cancer diagnosis and denied medical release

Grayson’s final months in prison were marked by his deteriorating health. Court filings and reporting on his medical-release application indicated that he had been diagnosed with colon cancer before Massey’s killing. The disease later progressed and spread to his liver and lungs. While awaiting trial in county custody, he was transported regularly for medical treatment.

In May 2026, Grayson sought compassionate release under the Illinois law commonly known as the Joe Coleman Act, which allows certain incarcerated people with serious or terminal medical conditions to seek release.

The Illinois Prisoner Review Board rejected the request unanimously on July 31. Grayson died less than a month after that decision.

Massey family responds to Grayson’s death

Following news of Grayson’s death, attorney Ben Crump, who represented Massey’s family, issued a statement emphasizing that his death did not erase the loss of Sonya Massey.

“Sonya Massey’s death was unjustifiable, and she should be alive today,” the attorneys said, according to Capitol News Illinois. They added that Grayson’s death from cancer in custody did not bring Massey back and expressed sympathy for those grieving his death.