Sean Grayson, former deputy convicted of killing Sonya Massey, dies in prison, lawyer says

FILE - In this image from body camera video released by Illinois State Police, Sonya Massey, left, talks with Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson outside her home in Springfield, Ill., July 6, 2024. Illinois State Police/via AP hide caption

CHICAGO — Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff's deputy whose fatal shooting of Sonya Massey inside her home became a flashpoint over police use of force, died Sunday while serving a 20-year prison sentence.

Grayson's attorney, Daniel Fultz, confirmed that his client died earlier Sunday but declined to provide any further details.

Grayson, 32, was convicted of second-degree murder in October in the fatal shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman who had reported a possible prowler outside her Springfield-area home. Body camera video of the July 2024 encounter showed Massey crouching in her kitchen and apologizing moments before Grayson shot her in the face.

He was sentenced in January to the maximum 20 years in prison.

Grayson had been diagnosed with colon cancer before Massey's killing, and his attorneys said at his sentencing that the disease had spread to his liver and lungs. In May, only months into his sentence, he sought medical release under an Illinois law for prisoners with terminal illnesses or serious medical conditions. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied his request last month.

Massey called 911 early on July 6, 2024, to report someone prowling outside her home. Grayson and another Sangamon County sheriff's deputy responded.

Video showed Grayson directing Massey to remove a pot of hot water from the stove. As she held the pot, Massey told the deputies, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."