Former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who killed Sonya Massey in her home dies aged 32

Sean Grayson, who was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2023, was serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder

The former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her home after she reported a possible prowler to 911, has died, his attorney said Sunday.

Sean Grayson died on Sunday, lawyer Daniel Fultz – who represented the ex-Sangamon county deputy at his trial – told NBC News and CBS News .

No cause of death was given, but Grayson, 32, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2023. The cancer had spread to his liver and lungs, his legal team disclosed at his sentencing in January.

Grayson was six months into a 20-year sentence for a second-degree murder conviction in connection with Massey’s killing.

In July, he had been denied a medical release by the Illinois prisoner review board.

Grayson, who was white, shot Massey, a Black woman, to death in an encounter on 6 July 2024 that was captured on bodyworn camera footage.

It showed Grayson and another deputy entered Massey’s home in Springfield, Illinois , to investigate reports of a prowler Massey had called in.

Massey then picked up a pot of boiling water from her stove, prompting Grayson to back away, according to court testimony.

Grayson later testified that he believed Massey was going to throw the boiling water on him after she twice said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” He said he perceived the remark to be a threat.

He then pointed his gun at Massey and threatened to shoot her, according to body camera video. She apologized and dropped to the floor, but he fired three times, striking the 36-year-old single mother in the face.

At trial, jurors heard that Grayson had declined to offer medical care. Illinois prosecutor Mary Beth Rodgers said in court: “‘I’m sorry.’ That is the last thing Sonya Massey said before the defendant murdered her – just like he said he would.”

The case sparked protests over systemic racism and a US justice department review.

JB Pritzker, the governor of Illinois, signed the Sonya Massey Act , a law requiring stricter background checks for law enforcement hires. And Sangamon county officials also agreed in early 2025 to a $10m settlement for Massey’s family.

Grayson apologized for Massey’s death at his January sentencing. But in his petition for early release on medical grounds, he wrote Massey had “attacked me with a pot of boiling water”.

Sangamon county state’s attorney John Milhiser opposed Grayson’s petition, calling early release under the circumstances “a miscarriage of justice” and “an insult to Sonya Massey’s memory and family”.

Attorneys for Massey’s family, attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, said the review board had “made the right decision”.

“No one is above accountability, and a badge does not provide an early way out,” they added.

Pritzker said in a statement that Illinois law requires the prisoner review board to consider medical release requests. He called Massey’s killing “a profound loss”.

“Sonya was innocent, unarmed, and calling law enforcement for help,” he said. “It was a painful reminder that too many innocent Black Americans have faced this kind of violence – and they deserve justice.”