A former Illinois sheriff’s deputy who gained notoriety for killing a woman in 2024 died on Sunday after battling Stage 4 colon cancer, according to his lawyer. 

Attorney Daniel Fultz said Sean Grayson, 32, died after being diagnosed with cancer in 2023. At the time of his death, Grayson was six months into his 20-year prison sentence for second-degree murder, for which he was convicted in October 2025 after killing Sonya Massey in her home. Protests broke out nationwide following her death, as activists framed the incident as a racist killing. Massey was black, and Grayson was white.

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