Sangamon County paid $10M after its sheriff hired the deputy who killed Sonya Massey
Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson shot Sonya Massey in her Springfield-area kitchen in July 2024 after she called 911 about a prowler. Before he was hired, Grayson had worked for six law enforcement agencies in four years and had two DUI convictions; Gov. JB Pritzker said Sheriff Jack Campbell failed by hiring him despite documented performance issues, and Campbell retired under pressure. In February 2025 the county approved a $10 million settlement with Massey's family, while a board member noted its settlement fund held $1.5 million. A January 2025 Justice Department agreement requires more de-escalation training and use-of-force data reporting for two years. A jury convicted Grayson of second-degree murder in October 2025 and he was sentenced to 20 years on January 29, 2026; with credits he could be released in under 8.5 years.
With a day shaved off his sentence for every day of good behavior, plus credit for nearly 19 months already spent behind bars, Grayson could be released in just under 8 1/2 years.
Pritzker said at the time that Campbell had failed at his job because he hired Grayson despite documented issues with Grayson's performance at previous agencies.
"The strange thing is we have a settlement fund, and there's only $1.5 million dollars in that fund," he said.
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"I made terrible decisions that night. I'm sorry."
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No outcome recorded yet.