Nationwide — Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted in Sonya Massey’s fatal shooting, died at age 32 while serving a 20-year prison sentence. He had been battling advanced colon cancer during his incarceration. He died around noon Sunday, his attorney, Daniel Fultz, told TMZ, but did not provide further details about what caused it. Multiple reports noted that he had Stage 4 colon cancer, but officials had not confirmed whether the disease caused his death.
Grayson had received a Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis in 2023, before his conviction and imprisonment. His condition later progressed to Stage 4, with the cancer spreading to his liver, lungs and rectum. He sought medical release while in prison, but the Illinois Prisoner Review Board rejected his request in July in a 3-0 vote. At the time of his death, he had served about six months of a 20-year prison sentence.
The sentence followed his conviction for second-degree murder in the 2024 shooting of Massey, a 36-year-old Black woman from Springfield, Illinois. She had called 911 because she believed someone was outside her home. Grayson and another deputy went to the house to respond to the call.
Body camera footage captured what happened next. Grayson told Massey to move a pot of boiling water from the stove. Massey then told him, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” During his trial, Grayson testified that he believed she was about to throw the boiling water at him and said he feared for his safety. He fired his gun and struck Massey in the head. She died at the scene.
The shooting drew nationwide attention, protests, and renewed demands for police accountability. Grayson lost his job following the shooting and initially faced a first-degree murder charge. Jurors ultimately convicted him of second-degree murder. A judge sentenced him to 20 years in prison in January 2026, followed by two years of mandatory supervised release. His death came less than seven months after he began serving the sentence.