Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey, has died in prison.
Grayson, 32, died after a battle with colon cancer, his attorney said on Sunday, August 23.
He was convicted of second-degree murder in October in the fatal shooting of Massey, 36, in her Springfield area home in July 2024.
Grayson was sentenced to 20 years in prison in January 2026.
Attorney Daniel Futz said Grayson was diagnosed with cancer several years ago. His attorneys said at his sentencing that his cancer had spread to his liver and lungs.
Grayson had applied for early release in May under a state law for inmates “suffering from a terminal illness or medical incapacitation.” His cancer was “irreversible and incurable,” according to documents first obtained by Capitol News Illinois.
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied his request last month.
Grayson was fired after body cam video showed him shooting Massey in the face during a misunderstanding.
Grayson erroneously believed Massey was holding a pot of boiling water and threatening to throw it at him.
However, the video showed Massey was not holding the pot when he shot her.
The other deputy at the scene, Dawson Farley, later testified that he did not consider Massey to be a threat. He said he drew his service weapon only after Grayson did.
Massey, a mother-of-2, called 911 to report a prowler outside her home.
During her interaction with Grayson, Massey told him, “Aww, I forgive you in the name of Jesus. I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson yelled, “You’d better f–ing not! I’ll f–ing shoot you in your f–ing face!”
Massey ducked behind a kitchen counter and when she raised her head, Grayson shot her in the face.
His employment history shows he was fired or resigned from 4 other police departments before being hired by the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
Massey’s family and Sangamon County agreed to a $10 million settlement in 2025.
“Sonya Massey’s death was unjustifiable, and she should be alive today,” attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci told Newsweek in a statement on Sunday. “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.”