Former Illinois sheriff's deputy Sean Grayson has died in prison from cancer, just six months into his 20-year sentence for the second-degree murder of Sonya Massey.

Grayson, 32, was pronounced dead around midday on Sunday, according to attorney Daniel Fultz. Defense attorney Mark Wykoff had previously revealed at his sentencing in January that Grayson was diagnosed with Stage 3 colon cancer in 2023. His legal team said the disease had since progressed to Stage 4 and spread to his liver and lungs.

Grayson had attempted to secure an early exit from prison on health grounds, but the Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied his request for medical release last month.

For Massey's family, the news has brought little sense of closure. Her cousin, Sontae Massey, said the 36-year-old victim's mother, son, and daughter were initially struggling to accept that Grayson had died, explaining that "they want to see his body."

The family also faced the distress of learning about his death online rather than directly through official channels. Sontae Massey told interviewers that "none of us are OK," adding: "This is not what justice looks like. I don't think any black American can achieve true justice. I think we got as good as we could get. True justice would be serving his full time, sick or not."

To understand how this case reached this point, we have to look back to the early hours of 6 July 2024. Massey, a single mother, called 911 because she believed a prowler was lurking outside her home in Springfield, Illinois.

Grayson and another Sangamon County sheriff's deputy searched the surrounding area but found no intruder. After entering her home to question her, Grayson directed Massey to remove a pot of boiling water from her stove, telling her: "We don't need a fire alarm here." As the other deputy stepped away, Massey told the officers: "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus."

Grayson responded with profanity, threatened to shoot her in the face, and drew his weapon. Body-camera footage showed Massey apologised and dropped to the floor, but Grayson advanced and fired three shots, striking her in the head. Grayson later claimed he perceived the rebuke as a threat that she was going to throw boiling water at him — an excuse her cousin dismissed as "insulting."

Her family explained that Massey had put the water on to make tea after phoning an uncle because she was frightened of being on her own. Grayson was convicted of second-degree murder in October and handed the maximum 20-year term in January, though Massey's cousin maintained he should have faced first-degree murder charges.

In a joint statement, Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, the civil rights attorneys representing Massey's family, reiterated that her death was "unjustifiable and she should be alive today." They noted that "Sean Grayson's death in custody from cancer does nothing to bring Sonya back," while offering prayers of peace to Grayson's grieving relatives.

The fatal shooting prompted nationwide protests across the United States, triggered a US Department of Justice review, and forced renewed scrutiny of police hiring procedures. Sangamon County subsequently agreed to a $10 million settlement with Massey's family to resolve a wrongful-death claim.

I'll be following this one — check back for updates.