Former Illinois Deputy Sean Grayson Sentenced to 20 Years for Killing Sonya Massey

On Thursday, Jan. 29, Sean Grayson, 31, a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the killing of Sonya Massey, an unarmed Black woman who had called 911, The New York Times reports. He was convicted of second-degree murder on Oct. 29, 2025, the Associated Press and NBC News reported; the sentence was the maximum allowed in Illinois, according to the Times.

The shooting occurred on July 6, 2024, after Massey placed a 911 call because she thought a prowler was outside her home in Springfield. Grayson and another deputy with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office responded at about 12:50 a.m., court evidence showed, the Times and AP reported.

Body camera footage obtained by The New York Times and shown in court shows officers searching the front and back yards, then knocking on Massey’s door. Inside, she asked a deputy to pass her a Bible, sat down, and then moved to remove a pot of hot water from the stove. The video shows Massey saying "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus" twice while holding the pot; Grayson drew his gun, told her "You better not," and later fired three shots, one striking Massey in the face.

It is unclear what was happening behind the counter at the moment of the shooting, the Times reported; Massey was later pronounced dead at St. John’s Hospital, the AP reports.

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