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Grayson dies in custody
Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey in her home in 2024, died on Sunday while serving a 20-year sentence in the Illinois Department of Corrections.
“Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey in her home in 2024, died on Sunday.”
Attorney Daniel L. Fultz confirmed Grayson’s death, while the Illinois Department of Corrections confirmed he died while being held at a facility outside of Illinois and did not provide further details.
Grayson, 32, had been battling Stage 4 colon cancer and had been undergoing treatment, and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board had rejected his medical release request last month.
The CBS News account says Grayson was found guilty last October of second-degree murder for the shooting of Massey and was serving a 20-year sentence, which was to be followed by two years of mandatory supervised release.
NBC News reported that Grayson died around noon, and that he was six months into his 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.
Bodycam dispute and threat
The shooting followed a July 6, 2024, 911 call when 36-year-old Sonya Massey reported a possible prowler outside her Springfield-area home and Grayson and another Sangamon County sheriff's deputy responded.
NBC News and CBS News both describe a confrontation in which Massey picked up a pot of boiling water from her stove, and Grayson threatened to shoot her while ordering her to drop the pot.
In the bodycam video described by CBS News, Grayson is heard saying, "You'd better f***ing not. I swear to God, I'll f***ing shoot you right in your f***ing face."
CBS News also says Grayson shot Massey after she apologized and ducked for cover, and that prosecutors said three shots were heard in the video.
Fox 32 Chicago reported that Farley later testified he did not consider Massey a threat and drew his weapon only after Grayson did, after Massey said "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."
Family statement and fallout
After Grayson’s death, attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, representing Massey’s family, issued a statement that said, "Grayson's death in custody from cancer does not bring Sonya back."
“"Grayson's death in custody from cancer does not bring Sonya back.”
The statement added, "We wish his family prayers of peace, as we do for all who grieve a loved one," while Fox 32 Chicago and CBS News both tied the remarks to Massey’s family grieving her loss.
The case had already driven legal and policy changes, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker signing the Sonya Massey Act, which requires stricter background checks for law enforcement hires and went into effect at the beginning of the year.
NBC News reported that Sangamon County officials agreed in early 2025 to pay a $10 million settlement to Massey’s family, and The Guardian said European fashion retailers faced scrutiny after the broader attention on supply chains and oversight.
In the criminal case itself, CBS News said the Illinois Prisoner Review Board rejected Grayson’s medical release request last month despite an application citing advanced colon cancer, and NBC News said it was not immediately clear whether cancer caused his death.