The Illinois Prisoner Review Board denied a medical release request from former Sangamon County Sheriff's Deputy Sean Grayson on Friday.
The three-person panel in Springfield decided that Grayson will remain in state custody.
Grayson is currently six months into a 20-year prison sentence for the second-degree murder of Sonya Massey in 2024.
He petitioned for early release in May under the Joe Coleman Act, citing advanced colon cancer.
A state-appointed medical examiner concluded his condition was likely fatal within 18 months.
However, Grayson's handwritten application did not indicate a fatal prognosis within that timeframe. It also expressed no remorse for shooting Massey.
Family and Officials Support the Decision
Attorneys Ben Crump and Antonio Romanucci, representing Massey's family, supported the panel's ruling.
They stated, "The Prisoner Review Board made the right decision and reaffirmed the jury's verdict and the sentence the court imposed."
They added that "a badge does not provide an early way out."
Sangamon County State's Attorney John Milhiser also opposed the petition.
He noted that Grayson had cancer prior to the shooting and that the court had already factored his health into the sentence, as reported by CBS News.
Family members voiced opposition before the board's meeting.
Sontae Massey, cousin of Sonya Massey, told Capitol News Illinois that Grayson "has to pay for what he did."
