Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff's deputy, was denied an early medical release by a prisoner review board on Friday. The Illinois Prisoner Review Board voted 3-0 against his medical release application.
The Illinois Prisoner Review Board unanimously denied Sean Grayson's medical release application.
Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder in the October trial for the 2024 fatal shooting of Sonya Massey. In January, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison, the maximum possible sentence.
Grayson has been diagnosed with colon cancer. According to his attorney in January, the cancer had advanced to his liver and lungs.
The fatal shooting occurred in Springfield, Illinois. Massey, a 36-year-old single mother, had called 911 about a possible prowler before being shot inside her home. Body-camera footage showed Grayson and another deputy entering her residence.
As Massey moved a pot of hot water from the stove, she said: 'I rebuke you in the name of Jesus.' Grayson filed for early release in May, six months into his sentence.
Grayson alleged that Massey attacked him with a pot of boiling water.
Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser opposed the release, stating that Grayson's medical condition was already considered at sentencing. He said releasing Grayson under these circumstances would be a miscarriage of justice.
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Ricci, representing Massey's family, said the board 'made the right decision'. Illinois Governor JB Pritzker stated that state law requires the board to consider medical release requests, and described Massey's killing as 'a profound loss'.
The case sparked protests over systemic racism and a US Department of Justice review.
