Sonya Massey’s family says death of sheriff’s deputy who killed her ‘doesn’t feel like justice’

A cousin says death of Sean Grayson in prison ‘doesn’t give Sonya back her life or return her’ to her children

The death in prison of the former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of murder after fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her home “doesn’t feel like justice to me”, a cousin of the woman has said in an emotional statement.

“It doesn’t give Sonya back her life or return her back to her [two] children”, who were aged 15 and 17 at the time of the killing, Sontae Massey wrote in the statement on Monday. Referring to Sonya Massey’s mother, the statement continued: “It doesn’t give my aunt back her daughter. And it doesn’t give our family the accountability were still waiting for …

“Sonya should still be here. That is the loss we are still living with.”

Sontae Massey’s statement provided a notable reaction to the death of the former Sangamon county deputy Sean Grayson, which was announced on Sunday by his attorney, Daniel Fultz.

Grayson, 32, was diagnosed with stage three colon cancer in 2023. The cancer had spread to his liver and lungs, according to his legal team, by the time of his sentencing in January, when he was given 20 years’ imprisonment for a second-degree murder conviction in connection with Massey’s killing.

The Illinois prison review board in late July had denied Grayson a medical release that he requested. At that proceeding, Sontae Massey spoke in opposition to the former deputy’s request, saying : “I’m not sure that I can write, speak or articulate anything that can encompass the devastation that Sean Grayson has created for our family.”

Grayson, who was white, shot Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, to death amid a 6 July 2024 encounter that was captured on body-worn camera video.

The footage showed Grayson and another deputy enter Massey’s home in Springfield, Illinois , to investigate reports of a prowler that she had called in herself.

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

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

The body camera video showed Grayson then pointing his gun at Massey and threatening to shoot her. On the video, she apologized and dropped to the floor – but he fired three times, striking her in the face and killing her.

Jurors presiding over Grayson’s trial heard, among other things, that he declined to offer her first aid.

The case prompted anti-racism protests and a federal justice department review.

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

In his statement after Grayson’s death, Sontae Massey wrote that his family had “been asked to carry more than most people can imagine today”, particularly Sonya’s mother, Donna.

And Grayson’s death just six months into his sentence meant that “Aunt Donna … [is] being asked to absorb something else connected to the loss of her daughter”, Sontae Massey’s statement said.

“I’ll be clear about this for myself, too,” he added. “I’m angry.”