Sean Grayson Dies in Prison

Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy convicted in the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey, died Sunday while serving a 20-year prison sentence. He was 32.

Grayson had been battling advanced colon cancer that was first diagnosed in 2023. His attorneys said the disease later progressed to Stage 4 and spread to his liver and lungs.

Grayson sought an early medical release from prison earlier this year, but the Illinois Prisoner Review Board unanimously denied the request on July 31.

Grayson’s conviction stemmed from the July 6, 2024, shooting death of 36-year-old Sonya Massey. Massey had called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield-area home. Grayson and another deputy responded, and the encounter escalated inside Massey’s kitchen as she moved a pot of hot water from the stove. Body-camera footage captured Grayson threatening to shoot Massey before firing three times, fatally striking her.

A jury convicted Grayson of second-degree murder in October 2025. He received the maximum 20-year sentence in January.