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Former Illinois Deputy Sentenced to 20 Years for Sonya Massey Shooting

Presiding Judge Ryan Cadagin read the sentence to Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy, at a Jan. 29 hearing, sentencing him to 20 years for fatally shooting Sonya Massey.
In the early morning of July 6, 2024, Sonya Massey called 911 reporting a suspected prowler, prompting deputies to enter her home where an argument over a pot of boiling water escalated.
Body-Worn camera footage was played repeatedly at trial, showing Grayson draw his sidearm, threaten to shoot Massey in the face, and a Peoria County jury convicted him in October after over 12 hours of deliberation.
When the judge read the sentence, the family cheered loudly while James Wilburn said he will never hear `Daddy, I love you` again, as relatives delivered impact statements.
The case led to statewide reforms and a bill signed on Aug. 12, 2025, a U.S. Justice Department inquiry produced a settlement requiring more de-escalation training and data collection, and civil rights attorney Ben Crump negotiated a $10 million settlement for Massey relatives.

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Former IL Deputy Sentenced to 20 Years for Sonya Massey Killing

A judge has sentenced former deputy Sean Grayson to 20 years for Sonya Massey's killing.

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Shooting of Unarmed Black Woman in Illinois Case

Jan 29 – An Illinois judge on Thursday sentenced a former sheriff’s deputy to the maximum 20 years in prison in the July 2024 fatal shooting of an unarmed Black woman in her home after she called the 911 emergency line to report a possible intruder, according to court records. Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy, was convicted in October of second-degree murder in the death of Sonya Massey, 36, in her Springfield, Illinois ho…

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