Ex-Illinois deputy who killed Sonya Massey dies at 32 in prison
Why it matters: Massey’s 2024 killing drove national protests, a federal civil rights probe and an Illinois hiring law for police.
Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey in her Illinois home, died Sunday in prison at 32 while serving a 20-year sentence. His lawyer, Daniel Fultz, confirmed the death but gave no cause. Grayson had colon cancer that his attorneys said had spread to his liver and lungs, and the Illinois Prisoner Review Board rejected his request for medical release last month. A jury convicted Grayson of second-degree murder after he shot Massey, 36, in July 2024 when deputies responded to her 911 call about a possible prowler near her Springfield-area home. Body camera video of the shooting sparked nationwide protests and led Illinois to pass the Sonya Massey Act on police hiring reviews.