Sean Grayson, former deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey, dies in prison, lawyer says
Sean Grayson, the former Illinois deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey, has died in prison while serving a 20-year sentence. Grayson had been suffering from terminal cancer and had previously been denied a request for medical release.
Why it matters
The case remains a significant touchstone in national discussions regarding police use of force and accountability in the justice system.
CHICAGO — 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.
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