Sean Grayson, ex-deputy convicted of fatally shooting Sonya Massey, dies, attorney says

Grayson was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, one of his attorneys said previously. It was unclear if that is what caused his death.

Sean Grayson, the former Illinois sheriff’s deputy convicted of fatally shooting Sonya Massey in her home in 2024 after she called 911 to report a prowler, has died, his attorney said Sunday.

Daniel Fultz, the attorney who represented Grayson during his murder trial, said he died around noon. He was six months into his 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.

Grayson, 32, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, and it had progressed to Stage 4 and spread to his liver, lungs and rectum, another defense attorney, Mark Wykoff, said at his sentencing in January. In July, he was denied medical release by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board.

It was not immediately clear whether cancer is what caused Grayson’s death.

Grayson shot Massey, 36, after he responded to her 911 call shortly before 1 a.m. July 6, 2024. The shooting, which was captured on body camera video, set off protests and calls for justice.