Officer who shot Sonya Massey denied medical release from prison
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July 31, 2026, 11:45 AM EDT / Updated July 31, 2026, 3:36 PM EDT
By Rebecca Cohen and Ava Kelley
Sean Grayson, the man who fatally shot Sonya Massey in her home in 2024, has been denied medical release by the Illinois Prisoner Review Board, a board spokesperson said Friday
Grayson, in a medical release request application obtained by NBC News0-year prison sentence after serving only six months
Liz Mitchell, the spokesperson, said in a statement that the board voted 3-0 to deny Grayson’s application, keeping him imprisoned
But Sangamon County State’s Attorney John C. Milhiser opposed Grayson’s potential release, writing a letter that recalled the facts of the case and stated that Grayson remains a danger to society
Grayson, a former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy, was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023, his attorney, Mark Wykoff said at his sentencing in January, after Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder last year in relation to Massey’s killing
Grayson filed for release under the Joe Coleman Act, which applies to incarcerated people who are terminally ill or medically incapacitated. The application defines that standard as either having a condition that will not improve or one that prevents someone from performing normal daily living tasks unassisted
As a part of the application, a medical professional evaluated Grayson and deemed his condition “irreversible and incurable,” checking a box indicating Grayson is likely to die within 18 months due to his cancer
The doctor did not, however, deem Grayson medically incapacitated, finding that the cancer does not interfere with his ability to take care of himself in daily life
Grayson killed Massey after she called to report a prowler outside of her home in 2024. He was dispatched to the scene and entered her apartment
While inside, Massey picked up a pot of boiling water from her stove, prompting Grayson to back away. She asked where he was going, and he replied: “Getting away from your hot steaming water,” according to Milhiser’s recounting
Massey responded, “Away from my hot steaming water? I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.” When Grayson looked confused, she repeated, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”
Grayson then pointed his gun at Massey and threatened to shoot her. She apologized and dropped to the floor, but he fired the weapon three times, hitting her. As she lay bleeding and struggling to breathe, he declined to offer medical care, Milhiser said. She was later pronounced dead at the hospital
In a handwritten statement included in the application, Grayson appeared to show little remorse for his actions and maintained that Massey attacked him with the pot of hot water
“The female Sony (sic) Massey invited me inside,” Grayson wrote, adding, “while inside she attacked me with a pot of boiling water and I fatally shot Ms. Massey.”
Grayson “was already diagnosed with cancer when he shot and killed Sonya Massey in her kitchen. His temper and willingness to escalate minor misunderstandings into fatal encounters shows that he poses a danger to any person he comes into contact with,” Milhiser wrote. “Cancer does not make him less dangerous.”
Milhiser added that Massey’s family also strongly opposed Grayson’s release. During the hearing Sonya Massey’s mother Donna testified telling the judge, “He did it, and I’m done. He did it, and he is a menace to society. He should not be walking around.”
