Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff’s deputy sentenced to 20 years in prison for the murder of single mother Sonya Massey, has died, his attorney has confirmed.
Defense attorney Daniel Fultz informed The Post that Grayson, 32, passed away early Sunday morning.
Before the 2024 incident, Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer, which later spread to his liver and lungs, as noted by his attorney in January. Despite his deteriorating health, a three-member Illinois Prisoner Review Board unanimously denied his request for early medical release in July. Fultz did not comment on whether the cancer was the cause of Grayson’s death.
Grayson had served six months of his 20-year sentence for second-degree murder after fatally shooting Massey in her Springfield, Illinois home on July 6, 2024, following her 911 call about a possible intruder.
Body camera footage revealed that Grayson, who is white, shot Massey, a 36-year-old single black mother, in the face as she moved a pot of hot water and said, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
The footage further showed Grayson yelling at Massey, who apologized and ducked before he fired three shots. Grayson told his partner that a medical kit was unnecessary to assist Massey after she sustained a gunshot wound to her face.
Grayson and his legal team contended that he feared Massey might scald him with the hot water. He was convicted of second-degree murder in October, following public demonstrations against systemic racism and a review by the US Department of Justice.
In January, he received the maximum sentence for the offense.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, representing Massey’s family, extended their condolences to Grayson’s family in a statement Sunday night but emphasized that his death “does not bring Sonya back.”
“Sonya Massey’s death was unjustifiable, and she should be alive today. Sean Grayson’s death in custody from cancer does not bring Sonya back,” the attorneys stated in a statement to WLS.
They added, “We wish his family prayers of peace, as we do for all who grieve a loved one. Sonya’s family knows that pain all too well and will grieve her loss the rest of their days.”
Attorneys for Massey’s family did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for further comment.
With Post wires
