Former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy Sean Grayson, convicted in the 2024 shooting death of Sonya Massey, died Sunday morning while serving a 20-year prison sentence. He was 32.
Grayson’s defense attorney confirmed his death. Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer in 2023, which attorneys said later spread to his liver and lungs.
Grayson shot 36-year-old Sonya Massey in her kitchen on July 6, 2024, after she called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her home. Body-camera video from another deputy captured the shooting.
Grayson was initially charged with first-degree murder and was convicted of second-degree murder last October.
In May, Grayson sought compassionate release under the Joe Coleman Act because of his medical condition. Massey’s family opposed the request, and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied it in late July.
Grayson died after serving less than a year of his 20-year sentence.