Former Sheriff's Deputy Sentenced to 20 Years in Prison for Fatal Shooting
Sean Grayson, a former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy, was sentenced to 20 years in prison on Thursday for the 2024 second-degree murder of Sonya Massey in Springfield, Illinois. Grayson, 31, was found guilty in October 2025 for the shooting of Massey, a Black woman who had called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home, according to ABC News.
Judge Ryan Cadagin, according to Springfield ABC affiliate WICS, also ordered Grayson to serve a two-year mandatory supervised release and granted him credit for time served. Prosecutors had sought a sentence ranging from four to 20 years in prison or probation, ABC News reported. The judge emphasized that firing three rounds threatened others in the neighborhood and that a strict sentence was necessary "to deter others from acting under the same circumstances," CBS News reported. He noted that the defense argued that such a situation was unlikely to happen again, as Grayson, now a convicted felon, is prohibited from possessing a gun or serving as a police officer. Grayson has the right to appeal his sentence, CBS News noted.
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