SPRINGFIELD, IL — A former Sangamon County sheriff’s deputy who shot and killed Sonya Massey inside her Springfield home after she called 911 for help was sentenced Thursday to the maximum term allowed under Illinois law.

Sean Grayson, 31, received a 20-year prison sentence for the July 6, 2024 killing of Massey, a 36-year-old Black mother of two, according to court records and reporting from the State Journal-Register.

Judge Ryan Cadagin also ordered two years of mandatory supervised release and granted Grayson credit for time already served. Under Illinois statute, Grayson will be required to serve at least 50% of the sentence.

Grayson had faced a sentencing range of four to 20 years or probation following his October 2025 conviction for second-degree murder. Prosecutors sought the maximum penalty, while the defense argued for a significantly shorter sentence, according to the State Journal-Register. Cadagin denied Grayson’s request for a new trial earlier Thursday, rejecting defense arguments that alleged errors in evidentiary rulings and pretrial decisions, ABC News reported.

Speaking ahead of sentencing, Grayson apologized to Massey’s family and acknowledged his actions on the night she was killed. “I made a lot of mistakes that night. There were points when I should’ve acted, and I didn’t — I froze,” Grayson said, according to WICS and the Associated Press. “I made terrible decisions that night. I’m sorry.” He added that he wished there were a way to bring Massey back, ABC News reported.

Massey’s family members delivered emotional victim impact statements describing the lasting damage caused by her death. Donna Massey, Sonya Massey’s mother, told the court she now fears calling police for help. “Today, I’m afraid to call the police in fear that I might end up like Sonya,” she said, according to WICS. Addressing Grayson directly, she repeated the words her daughter spoke moments before she was fatally shot: “Sean Grayson, I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Massey’s son, Malachi, said he was forced to grow up abruptly after losing his mother. “I had to step up at 17. I had nowhere to go or nothing. I was just lost,” he told the court, according to WICS. “I still need my mom … it’s like a part of me is dead.” Massey’s daughter, Jeanette “Summer” Massey, who was 15 at the time of the shooting, said she was grateful for the sentence but said it fell short of justice. “Twenty years is not enough,” she said, according to the Washington Post.

According to trial testimony and body-camera footage reviewed by jurors, Grayson was one of two deputies who responded to Massey’s home after she reported a possible intruder. Video shows Massey heating a pot of water on her stove while speaking with deputies inside her kitchen. Grayson pointed to the pot and told her to “walk away from your hot steaming water,” according to ABC News and the Washington Post. Massey complied, pouring the water into the sink, then repeated Grayson’s words before saying, “I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.”

Moments later, Grayson threatened to shoot Massey, the footage shows. Massey apologized, ducked behind a counter and raised her hands while covering her face with what appeared to be a red oven mitt, according to prosecutors and body-camera video. As she briefly rose, Grayson fired three shots, striking her in the face, authorities said. Massey’s final words were “I’m sorry,” an assistant state’s attorney told the court, according to WICS.

Grayson testified during the trial that he believed Massey was about to throw boiling water on him and feared for his life. In a narrative filed after the shooting, he said he believed she posed a threat of “great bodily harm or death,” the Washington Post reported. Prosecutors argued Grayson was several feet away and did not attempt to render aid after the shooting.

Grayson was initially charged with first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct. Jurors were instructed they could consider second-degree murder, which applies when a killing occurs during a sudden and intense emotional response to perceived provocation. After more than 12 hours of deliberation over two days, the jury returned a second-degree murder verdict, according to the State Journal-Register.

Massey’s death sparked protests and drew condemnation from state and national leaders, including Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, according to the Washington Post. The case intensified scrutiny of law enforcement hiring and training, particularly in responding to people experiencing mental health crises. Court records show Massey had struggled with mental health issues, and less than a day before the shooting, her mother had called 911 seeking help and pleading with dispatchers not to send officers who might harm her daughter, according to released recordings cited by the Washington Post.

In the months following the shooting, Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell stepped down amid criticism for hiring Grayson despite prior DUI convictions and disciplinary issues at other departments, the Washington Post reported. Massey’s family later reached a $10 million wrongful-death settlement with the county. Pritzker signed the Sonya Massey Act into law in August 2025, tightening background checks and hiring standards for law enforcement across Illinois.

Outside the courthouse Thursday, protesters braved freezing temperatures, chanting “Say her name” and calling for the maximum sentence, according to the State Journal-Register. When word of the sentence spread, cheers erupted.

Grayson’s attorneys declined to comment following the hearing. Sangamon County State’s Attorney John Milhiser told ABC News his office had formally opposed Grayson’s motion for a new trial, which Cadagin denied.

For Massey’s family, the sentence marked an end to the criminal case but not the loss. “I’m grateful that we got the maximum sentence that we could,” Summer Massey said. “But 20 years is not enough.”