Ex-deputy charged in Sonya Massey killing drew ire from previous boss, audio files show

(SPRINGFIELD, Ill.) — An Illinois chief deputy’s concerns regarding Sean Grayson, the former sheriff’s deputy charged with murder in the fatal shooting of Sonya Massey, an unarmed mother of two, are documented in an audio file released Monday.

The recorded 2022 conversation is with Grayson’s then-boss, Logan County Chief Deputy Nathan Miller, who addresses Grayson’s mishandling of a traffic case.

“Seven months on, how are you still employed by us?” Miller said. Grayson responds, “I don’t know.”

The exchange centers around Grayson, who would eventually leave Logan County and join the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in 2023, being accused of violating department policy and submitting inaccurate reports.

Miller said he and Grayson have “had this conversation before” and called Grayson’s behavior “extremely concerning.”

“Just me asking you those questions, you got a report writing violation for policy. You got an accuracy violation for policy. You got a standard of conduct violation for policy and we’re 48 seconds into this,” Miller said.

Grayson did not receive any policy violations, as Miller put a hold on the report to discuss the inaccuracies with him before officially submitting the document.

Grayson’s integrity was also questioned.

“I’m calling you on your integrity. How does that make you feel?” Miller asked. Grayson replied that he was learning from it.

“If we can’t trust what you say and what you see, we can’t have you in our uniform,” Miller said.

Miller goes on to remind Grayson that “a lot of officers have been charged and end up in jail,” and reminding him that “official misconduct will land you in jail.”

Grayson’s application to Logan County, where he worked from May 2022 to April 2023, included a letter he wrote explaining and apologizing for his two DUIs, as they were flagged in the hiring process.

Grayson, 30, was charged with two DUI offenses in Macoupin County, Illinois, in August 2015 and July 2016, according to court documents. He pleaded guilty to both charges and paid over $1,320 in fines and had his vehicle impounded as a result of the 2015 incident. In 2016, Grayson paid over $2,400 in fines, according to court records.

Documents obtained by ABC News from Logan state that Grayson resigned in April 2023. He began his full-time job as a sheriff’s deputy at Sangamon County three days after leaving Logan.

Grayson is now behind bars, denied bond, charged with three counts of first-degree murder, aggravated battery with a firearm and official misconduct in Massey’s death. He has pleaded not guilty.

“I’m going to say something right now I’ve never said in my career before: we failed,” Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said at a community event in Illinois Monday evening, “We did not do our jobs. We failed Sonya. We failed Sonya’s family and friends. We failed the community. I stand here today before you with arms wide open to ask for forgiveness.”

Grayson’s attorney has declined to comment.

The Illinois Fraternal Order of Police Labor on Tuesday said it was dropping its initial grievance seeking to have Grayson reinstated and would not be proceeding any further.

The audio file was released as Grayson’s employment history shows he held six different police jobs in the state of Illinois since 2020, according to the Illinois Law Enforcement Training and Standards Board.

According to employment records, Grayson was hired for his first known police job at the Pawnee Police Department in August 2020 and was fired from his most recent job as a sheriff’s deputy at the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Department after the July 6 deadly shooting of Massey.

Prior to his time in law enforcement, Grayson was discharged from the U.S. Army for “misconduct (serious offense),” according to documents obtained by ABC News.

Grayson was discharged on February 24, 2016, after beginning service in the U.S. Army on May 5, 2014. He served for a total of one year, nine months and 19 days, Grayson’s certificate of discharge from active duty shows.

The U.S. Army, citing the Privacy Act and Department of Defense policy, said it is prevented from releasing information relating to the misconduct of low-level employees or characterization of service at discharge.

Grayson was a 91B (Wheeled Vehicle Mechanic) in the Regular Army from May 2014 to February 2016. He had no deployments and left the Army in the rank of private first class, according to an Army spokesman.

Massey’s heartbroken family continues to mourn her death as they seek justice.

“Our whole family is in a disarray. The main focus of everybody is that this animal gets justice and gets exactly what he deserves,” James Wilburn, Massey’s father, told ABC News affiliate KATV.

ABC News’ Tesfaye Negussie contributed to this report.

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