Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County sheriff's deputy, was sentenced on Thursday to 20 years in prison after he was convicted in October 2025 of second-degree murder for the July 2024 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, a Black woman who called 911 to report a possible intruder at her home in Springfield, Illinois.Judge Ryan Cadagin said that Grayson will also have a two-year mandatory supervised release and will receive credit for time served, according to Springfield ABC affiliate WICS, which was in the courtroom.He had been facing to four to 20 years in prison or probation, according to prosecutors.Summer Massey, Sonya Massey's daughter who was 15 when her mother was fatally shot, told reporters that she was "grateful" that Grayson received the maximum sentence.“I'm thankful for all the love and support that everybody has came out and shown and I'm grateful that we got the maximum sentence that we could," she said.
"Twenty years is not enough, but ...they did what they could do.”In this July 27, 2024, file photo, mourners put up candles while attending a vigil for Sonya Massey in Folger Park in Washington, D.C.Aashish Kiphayet/Nurphoto via Reuters, FILEGrayson spoke ahead of his hearing and apologized to Massey's family, WICS reported."I wish there was something I could do to bring her back.
I wish this didn't happen.I wish they [Massey's family] didn't have to go through this experience.
I am very sorry," he said, according to WICS.Addressing the judge, Grayson acknowledged that he "made a lot of mistakes" on the night Massey died, WICS reported."There were points when I should've acted, and I didn't -- I froze.I made terrible decisions that night.
I'm sorry," he reportedly said.Massey's mother, Donna Massey, and children delivered victim impact statements ahead of the sentencing, WICS noted."Today, I'm afraid to call the police in fear that I might end up like Sonya," Donna Massey said, according to WICS.She addressed Grayson with the same words that So...