Key facts
- Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff's deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey, died in prison on Sunday.
- Grayson was serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.
- Massey was killed in July 2024 after calling 911 to report a prowler.
- Body camera footage showed Massey apologizing before Grayson shot her.
- Illinois passed the Sonya Massey Act requiring law enforcement agencies to more closely review applicant employment records.
- The Justice Department reached an agreement with Sangamon County for changes to policing and emergency response.
Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff's deputy convicted of the second-degree murder of Sonya Massey, died Sunday while serving a 20-year prison sentence. Grayson's attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed his client's death but provided no further details. Grayson, 32, was convicted in October for the fatal shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman, in July 2024. Massey had called 911 to report a prowler outside her Springfield-area home when Grayson and another deputy responded.
Body camera footage showed Massey crouching in her kitchen and apologizing moments before Grayson shot her in the face. Grayson had argued that he feared Massey would throw hot water at him, which led to his conviction on the lesser charge of second-degree murder instead of first-degree. The other responding deputy, Dawson Farley, testified that he did not consider Massey a threat and only drew his weapon after Grayson did.
Grayson's killing drew national attention and protests, raising questions about his hiring history. Following the incident, Illinois lawmakers passed the Sonya Massey Act, mandating more thorough reviews of law enforcement applicants' employment records. The Justice Department also initiated a civil rights investigation, resulting in an agreement with Sangamon County and other agencies to implement changes in policing and emergency response, including additional training and a mobile crisis response program.
Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer prior to Massey's killing, and his attorneys stated the disease had spread. His request for medical release, filed under a state law for terminally ill prisoners, was denied by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board last month.