Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of fatally shooting single mother Sonya Mᴀssey, has died in prison at the age of 32, according to his attorney.

Defense attorney Daniel Fultz confirmed to The Post that Grayson died early Sunday. The former deputy had been diagnosed with colon cancer before the 2024 shooting. In January his attorney publicly noted that the cancer had advanced to his liver and lungs. A three-member Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted unanimously in July to deny Grayson’s application for early medical release. Fultz was unable to comment on whether the death was directly related to the cancer diagnosis.

Grayson was six months into a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder when he died.

The shooting that led to conviction

On July 6, 2024, Sonya Mᴀssey, a 36-year-old Black single mother, called 911 from her Springfield, Illinois, home to report a possible prowler. Grayson, then a Sangamon County deputy, and a partner responded.

Body-camera footage showed Mᴀssey moving a pot of H๏τ water from the stove and saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” After Grayson yelled and drew his pistol, Mᴀssey said, “I’m sorry,” and ducked. Grayson fired three sH๏τs, striking her in the face. He then told his partner that a medical kit was not needed.

Grayson and his attorneys argued at trial that he feared Mᴀssey would scald him with the H๏τ water. Prosecutors and Mᴀssey’s family maintained the use of force was unjustified.

The case sparked protests over systemic racism and prompted a U.S. Department of Justice review. In October Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder. In January he received the maximum possible prison sentence of 20 years.

Family response

Attorneys for Mᴀssey’s family, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, issued a statement Sunday evening. They expressed prayers for Grayson’s family while underscoring that his death does not change the outcome for Mᴀssey.

“Sonya Mᴀssey’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 said in a statement to WLS. “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 Mᴀssey’s family did not immediately respond to further requests for comment.

A case that continues to resonate

Grayson’s death closes one chapter of a high-profile case that drew national attention. Mᴀssey had sought help from law enforcement on the night she was killed. The body-camera evidence, the subsequent trial, the conviction, and the maximum sentence all formed part of a public reckoning over the use of force and accountability.

Grayson had already been diagnosed with cancer at the time of the shooting. His condition later progressed, yet the Prisoner Review Board declined early medical release in July. He served only six months of the 20-year term before his death.

For Mᴀssey’s family the loss remains permanent. Their attorneys have consistently maintained that nothing—neither the conviction, the sentence, nor Grayson’s death in custody—can restore the life that was taken.

The case of Sonya Mᴀssey and Sean Grayson leaves a lasting record: a 911 call for help, a fatal shooting captured on body camera, a murder conviction, a maximum sentence, and now the death of the convicted officer while serving that sentence. The legal process has reached its conclusion. The human cost continues.

Source: New York Post