A former Illinois deputy is sentenced to 20 years in prison for killing Sonya Massey

Associated Press (AP)CenterEN 5 min read 100% complete by By JOHN O’CONNORJanuary 29, 2026 at 05:23 PM

AI Summary

long article 5 min

Sean Grayson, a former Illinois sheriff's deputy, was sentenced to 20 years in prison for the July 6, 2024, shooting death of Sonya Massey in her Springfield, Illinois home. Massey had called 911 for help prior to the incident. Grayson, a former Sangamon County Sheriff’s deputy, was charged with first-degree murder. Body camera footage released by Illinois State Police showed Grayson pointing his gun at Massey before shooting her. The sentencing brings a close to the case that drew attention and sparked a press conference featuring Rev. Al Sharpton in July 2024.

Key Entities & Roles

Key Player Opposition Context

Macon County, Illinois 30% Chicago, Illinois 30% Rev. Al Sharpton 30% Sangamon County Sheriff's ×240% Donna Massey ×240% Illinois State Police 50% Springfield, Illinois ×260% Illinois ×570% Sonya Massey ×690% Sean Grayson ×590%

Keywords

police shooting 90% killing 80% prison sentence 70% sentencing 70% first-degree murder 60% deputy 60% body camera video 50%

Sentiment Analysis

Very Negative

Score: -0.70

Source Transparency

Source

Associated Press (AP)

Political Lean

Center (0.00)

Far LeftCenterFar Right

Classification Confidence

90%

Geographic Perspective

Illinois

This article was automatically classified using rule-based analysis. The political bias score ranges from -1 (far left) to +1 (far right).

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police shooting killing prison sentence sentencing first-degree murder deputy body camera video

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