SPRINGFIELD, IL — Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey in her home in 2024, died on Aug. 23, his lawyer said.

Daniel Fultz of Springfield, one of Grayson’s defense attorneys, confirmed the death. Messages seeking comment from the Illinois Department of Corrections were not immediately returned to The State Journal-Register, part of the USA TODAY Network.

Grayson’s death comes a little over three weeks after his hearing before the Illinois Prisoner Review Board. Grayson, who was being held out of state, sought early release, but the board denied his request in a 3-0 vote. Panel members did not comment on the case after hearing testimony and voting.

Grayson sought the hearing under a statute enacted in Illinois in 2022 that allows prisoners who have terminal illnesses or advanced medical conditions to apply for release. He was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023 and Stage 4 rectal cancer and cancer in his liver and lungs later on.

The former sheriff’s deputy, who was White, was serving a 20-year sentence after a Peoria County jury convicted him of second-degree murder in October. He had faced first-degree murder charges before the nine-woman, three-man jury received instructions on the lesser charge of second-degree murder.

Many supporters of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman and the mother of two children, didn’t believe a second-degree murder conviction was harsh enough. Grayson was sentenced to the maximum term in January by Seventh Circuit Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin, who also presided over the trial.

Before sentencing, Grayson asked the Massey family for forgiveness but said he accepted their anger.

What happened to Sonya Massey

The former deputy fatally shot Massey in her Cabbage Patch neighborhood home on July 6, 2024, after she called 911 to report a possible intruder. Video from the body-worn camera of Grayson’s partner, Dawson Farley, captured the shooting and drew international attention to the case.

Grayson did not activate his body-worn camera until after the shooting.

Inside Massey’s home, Grayson told her to take a pot of hot water off the stove. While holding the pot, Massey said “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” Grayson responded by saying, “You better not,” and that he would shoot Massey.

He pulled out his weapon and yelled at Massey to drop the pot.

“OK, I’m sorry,” Massey said before ducking behind her kitchen counter. Grayson approached and fired three times, striking Massey once in the face. She was pronounced dead at a nearby hospital.

Concerning Massey’s comment, “I interpreted this to mean she was going to kill me,” Grayson wrote in his official report.

Within weeks, Grayson was fired and arrested on murder charges. Sangamon Sheriff Jack Campbell retired after pressure from Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker to resign. To resolve a federal probe by the Department of Justice, the sheriff’s office and county agreed to update its procedures and training to better engage with those experiencing mental health crises.

Questions have centered on the hiring of Grayson, who worked for six different agencies in four years before joining the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in May 2023.

His blemished record included two DUIs, a discharge from the U.S. Army for “serious misconduct,” and complaints against him from the people he policed as well as other law enforcement officers. Details of his previous work in law enforcement were excluded from the murder trial.

In May, Cadagin refused a motion to reconsider Grayson’s sentencing, sending the case to the Fourth District Appellate Court. Grayson had his own attorney in the appeal process.

Contributing: Christopher Cann, USA TODAY

Contact Steven Spearie: 217-622-1788; sspearie@sj-r.com; X, twitter.com/@StevenSpearie.