A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy will spend the next two decades behind bars for the killing of Sonya Massey, a case that began with a routine 911 call and ended with a sentence that reverberated far beyond the courtroom.
According to CNN, Judge Ryan Cadigan handed down the maximum 20-year prison term on Thursday, January 29, to Sean Grayson, 31, for fatally shooting Massey inside her home in July 2024.
Massey had contacted emergency services after she believed someone was lurking outside her house in the middle of the night. Grayson, who responded to the call, has been incarcerated since he was charged in the case.
Under Illinois law, juries may return a second-degree conviction if they believe a defendant acted under an honest—though unreasonable—fear. Prosecutors had warned that the standard was never meant to excuse what happened inside Massey’s kitchen.
During sentencing, Grayson addressed the court and Massey’s relatives, saying he regretted his actions and wished he could undo the harm. “I froze,” he told the judge, adding that he made “terrible decisions” that night. His attorneys asked for a six-year sentence, pointing to his advanced colon cancer, which has metastasized. The court rejected the request.
Massey’s family members described a permanent rupture in their lives. Her children told the judge they were growing up without their mother, while her parents said the shooting shattered their sense of safety.
“I’m afraid to call the police,” Massey’s mother, Donna Massey, said in court, explaining that her daughter’s fate now lingers over every emergency decision.
Prosecutors argued that Massey’s death was preventable. State’s Attorney John Milhiser said the outcome would have been different had another officer been sent to the scene. “This didn’t just devastate a family,” he told the court. “It shook the community and the country.”
When the sentence was read, Massey’s relatives reacted emotionally, some shouting in relief before being reminded to remain quiet. Outside the courthouse, Massey’s daughter Summer said the punishment still fell short. “Twenty years is not enough,” she said.
The case extended beyond the criminal trial. Sangamon County agreed to a $10 million civil settlement with Massey’s family, negotiated by civil rights attorney Ben Crump.
The killing also prompted a U.S. Department of Justice inquiry, new de-escalation commitments from local law enforcement, and changes to Illinois hiring transparency laws.