DEAD BEHIND BARS

Ex-Cop Convicted in Sonya Massey Killing Dies in Prison at 32

Sean Grayson was six months into his 20-year sentence after being convicted of second-degree murder.

Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of murdering Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a possible prowler, has died at 32. Attorney Daniel Fultz, who represented Grayson during his murder trial, said he died around noon on Sunday, according to NBC News. Grayson had been six months into his 20-year sentence after being found guilty last October of second-degree murder for fatally shooting Massey in 2024. He had been battling Stage 4 colon cancer that spread to his liver and lungs, as well as rectal cancer. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied him medical release in July, according to NBC News. It was not immediately known what caused Grayson’s death or whether cancer was a factor. The Daily Beast has reached out to Fultz for comment. On July 6, 2024, Grayson and another sheriff’s deputy, who was not charged, responded to Massey’s home after she called 911. Inside, Grayson instructed Massey to remove a pot of boiling water from the stove. When she told him, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus,” Grayson drew his gun and threatened to shoot her. Massey apologized and ducked behind a kitchen counter before Grayson shot her three times.