Former Sangamon County Sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson, who was serving a 20-year prison sentence for the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, has died, CBS News reports. He was 32.
Grayson's former attorney, Daniel L. Fultz, confirmed his death on Sunday. Grayson had been receiving treatment for Stage 4 colon cancer, though his official cause of death has not been disclosed.
His death comes roughly a month after the Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied his request for medical release. The application cited his advanced cancer, but the board determined that Grayson should remain incarcerated.
Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder last October in connection with the July 2024 killing of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had called 911 to report a possible prowler outside her Springfield-area home. He was sentenced to 20 years in the Illinois Department of Corrections, followed by two years of mandatory supervised release.
The shooting drew national attention after body-camera footage captured the deadly encounter inside Massey's home.
This story will be updated.
