RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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See the full story · 9 sourcesSonya Massey's family is speaking out after Sean Grayson's death ... they feel justice wasn't served and wish Sonya's killer had spent a lot more time behind bars.
Sonya's cousin, Sontae Massey, tells TMZ ... the family was devastated and frustrated they weren't notified directly and had to learn about Grayson's death online.
Grayson is the former Illinois sheriff's deputy who shot and killed her after she called 911 in July 2024 to report someone lurking outside her home.
Sontae says he gathered Sonya's mother, son, and daughter to tell them ... but they initially didn't believe him, telling us "they want to see his body."
As we previously reported, Grayson's attorney -- Daniel Fult -- told us his client died Sunday while serving a 20-year sentence for second-degree murder.
Grayson had been battling advanced colon cancer, which sources tell us was the cause of death. He died just 6 months into his prison sentence.
Sontae tells TMZ ... "None of us are okay."
Sonya's cousin says the family has struggled to get information since the trial.
In terms of Grayson dying just months into his sentence, Sontae tells us "this is not what justice looks like to us" ... adding, "I don't think any Black American can achieve true justice. I think we got as good as we could get."
Sonya's cousin says ... "True justice would be serving his full time. Sick or not." He says Grayson's excuses for pulling the trigger that night are "insulting," and says Grayson should've gotten first-degree murder ... adding, "he said what he was going to do and then he did it."
Sontae tells us Sonya was like a sister to him and recalls speaking with her just hours before her death. He says Sonya called her uncle because she was scared to be alone, and the family told her to make some tea before they took her to breakfast the next morning. That's why she had a pot of hot water on the stove when Grayson and another deputy responded.
Grayson was convicted in the 2024 shooting ... a rare instance of a cop being found guilty of a crime in an on-duty shooting.
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