JUSTICE FOR SONYA MASSEY.
Former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy Sean Grayson will remain behind bars after the Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted 3–0 to deny his request for medical release. Grayson is serving a 20-year sentence after being convicted of second-degree murder in the 2024 killing of Sonya Massey, an unarmed 36-year-old Black woman who had called 911 for help.
Grayson sought release under Illinois’ Joe Coleman Medical Release Act because he has Stage 4 colon cancer that has spread to his liver and lungs. Medical documentation indicated his illness is likely to cause his death within 18 months.
Sonya’s family strongly opposed his release. Her mother asked a question that deserves to be heard: Where was the compassion for Sonya?
The board ultimately decided Grayson should remain incarcerated.