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Sean Grayson has died in prison.
The former Illinois sheriff’s deputy was behind bars for the shocking murder of Sonya Massey.
He was only about half a year into his 20-year sentence.
What happened?
Sean Grayson died on Sunday, August 23
Daniel Fultz, attorney for Grayson, confirmed to TMZ that his client died around noon Central Time (1 PM on the East Coast) on Sunday, August 23.
Fultz did not choose to furnish additional details.
However, TMZ reports that inside sources explained that the believed cause of death was Grayson’s colon cancer.
In 2023, Grayson received his Stage 3 colon cancer diagnosis.
The disease would later metastasize to his liver, lungs, and rectum, reaching Stage 4. Stage 4 is often, though not always, seen as a terminal diagnosis.
Just last month, the Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied a request from Grayson for medical release.
All things considered, that was still the right call.
Grayson was only about six months into serving a 20 year sentence for second-degree murder.
Compassionate releases exist for a reason. But they cannot be applied to everyone.
Some acts are so heinous that the perpetrator must remain separate from society — even if they have only weeks left to live.
The new mugshot of Sean Grayson who is facing murder charges in connection to the death of Sonya Massey pic.twitter.com/n71niEkABP
— WICS ABC 20 (@wics_abc20) July 24, 2025
Sonya Massey should be alive today
Early on July 6, 2024, a 36-year-old woman named Sonya Massey called 911 to report seeing a prowler.
(Though Massey had experienced mental health struggles, it has not been proven whether or not she saw someone. Unfortunately, that is now very moot.)
Grayson and his partner at the time, Dawson Farley, arrived at her home.
Bodycam footage showed Grayson directing Massey to remove a pot of boiling water from her stovetop. Massey complied.
She also told him at one point: “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” We are not psychiatrists, but that comment can at times be a religious statement and at other times can be an utterance as a sign of mental distress.
Grayson would later claim that the took the “rebuke” bit as a threat. He also claimed that he feared that Massey might throw the boiling water on him.
(Farley would testify that he did not consider Massey to be a threat.)
Though Massey dropped to her knees and apologized and seemingly ducked for cover, it was not enough to save her life. Massey shot her to death in her own kitchen after she had called for help.
Following her murder, Illinois passed the Sonya Massey Act, requiring police departments to carefully review prior work history. Massey had been in trouble numerous times, including when serving in the military, prior to this tragedy.
For multiple reasons, Grayson is no longer a public danger. One can hope that half-measures like the Sonya Massey Act will prevent at least some tragedies like this from occurring.
