Grayson, 32, had advanced cancer and died weeks after Illinois officials denied his request for early medical release.
SPRINGFIELD, IL — Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy convicted of second-degree murder in the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey, died Sunday while serving a 20-year prison sentence, his attorney said. He was 32.
Defense attorney Daniel Fultz confirmed Grayson’s death on Aug. 23. Grayson had advanced cancer that his attorneys said had spread to his liver and lungs, but a cause and location of death had not been officially confirmed Sunday. The Illinois Department of Corrections had not publicly disclosed where he was being held.
Grayson’s death came a little more than three weeks after the Illinois Prisoner Review Board unanimously denied his request for early medical release. He had applied under the state’s medical-release process in May, citing his worsening cancer. Massey’s family opposed the request, and the three-member board voted July 31 to keep him in custody.
Grayson was sentenced in January to 20 years in prison, the maximum term available after a jury convicted him of second-degree murder in October 2025. He also was ordered to serve two years of mandatory supervised release after his prison term and received credit for time already spent in custody.
Massey, 36, was killed July 6, 2024, after she called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her home near Springfield. Grayson and another Sangamon County deputy responded. Police body-camera video showed the encounter moving into Massey’s kitchen, where she handled a pot of hot water before Grayson drew his gun and shot her. Massey was unarmed.
Grayson maintained that he believed Massey posed a threat with the hot water. Prosecutors argued that he unnecessarily escalated the encounter and had other options available. He was initially charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. Jurors ultimately found him guilty of the lesser offense of second-degree murder.
The shooting brought national attention to Sangamon County and intensified scrutiny of Grayson’s law enforcement employment history and the way officers are screened before being hired. Grayson was fired from the sheriff’s office after the shooting. The case also prompted protests and calls from Massey’s family and community members for changes in policing and emergency response.
Illinois later enacted legislation commonly known as Sonya Massey’s Bill. Signed by Gov. JB Pritzker in August 2025, the measure strengthened requirements for law enforcement agencies to review an applicant’s previous employment records before making a job offer. The legislation was developed in response to concerns raised about Grayson’s employment history before he joined the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.
The U.S. Justice Department also reached an agreement with Sangamon County, its sheriff’s office and its central dispatch system following a civil rights investigation opened after Massey’s death. The agreement called for measures involving training, oversight, nondiscrimination and responses to people with disabilities. Separately, the Sangamon County Board approved a $10 million settlement with Massey’s family in 2025.
Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, who represents Massey’s family, said after Grayson’s death that it did not change the family’s loss. In a statement, Crump said Massey “should be alive today” and offered prayers for Grayson’s family while noting that Massey’s relatives will continue to grieve her death.
As of Sunday night, state corrections officials had not publicly announced an official cause of Grayson’s death or released additional details about where he died. His death ends his prison sentence less than a year after his conviction, but the legal and policing reforms that followed Massey’s killing remain in effect.
Author note: Last updated August 23, 2026.