Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her home in July 2024, died Sunday while serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder. His attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed the death occurred around noon. Grayson, who was six months into his term, had been diagnosed with Stage 4 colon cancer that had spread to his liver, lungs and rectum.
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board rejected his medical release request last month. Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, had called 911 to report a prowler when Grayson and another deputy responded. Body camera footage showed Grayson shooting Massey in the face after she apologized and ducked behind a kitchen counter.
Jurors convicted Grayson after he argued he feared Massey would throw boiling water at him. The shooting prompted the Sonya Massey Act, requiring stricter law enforcement background checks, and a Justice Department agreement mandating policing reforms in Sangamon County.