Deputy who killed Sonya Massey had job reference from fiance’s dad, a longtime sheriff’s deputy

SPRINGFIELD, Ill. (WCIA) — When Sean Grayson, the former Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy charged with the murder of Sonya Massey, applied to work at the Sheriff’s Office, he had a job reference from his girlfriend’s father — a longtime Sangamon County Sheriff’s Deputy.

WCIA requested through the Freedom of Information Act Grayson’s personnel files. The county released the files for his January 2023 job application Wednesday evening. In his beneficiary designation along with with his emergency contact information, Grayson lists his girlfriend with the last name of Butterfield. (WCIA has chosen to not name Grayson’s fiance.)

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On his references for hiring, one is for Scott Butterfield, a former Sheriff’s deputy, and his girlfriend’s father. According to a Facebook post from the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office, Butterfield retired in 2020 after working for the office for 24 years.

“After 30 years in law enforcement, Deputy Scott Butterfield has decided to turn in his SCSO equipment and enjoy the civilian life,” the Facebook post reads. “Thank you for being a great representative of the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.”

The retired deputy gave a glowing review of Grayson.

“Mr. Butterfield advised me that Mr. Grayson is currently dating his daughter,” Lt. Wes Wooden wrote in his background investigation of Grayson for the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office in March 2023. “Mr. Butterfield describes Mr. Grayson as a mellow, non-confrontational person who has good communication skills. Mr. Butterfield highly recommends Mr. Grayson for employment with the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office.”

In a letter to the editor of the Muddy River News, Brenda Butterfield, Scott’s mom, said Scott is “a to-be father-in-law who is as close to Sean as a father can be.”

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Grayson’s first day with Sangamon County was May 1, 2023.

Grayson was getting married in October, his attorney said during his pre-trial detention hearing earlier this month.

Sangamon County Sheriff Jack Campbell said in a statement he prefers recommendations from law enforcement officers he knows.

“Grayson’s personnel file includes references from people I know well,” Campbell said in a statement attached to the FOIA. “Normally, I seek such references and give more credence to those from individuals I trust and know to have integrity. Their insights are invaluable in making informed hiring decisions.”

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Grayson worked at five law enforcement agencies before the Sangamon County Sheriff’s Office. Campbell said he was not aware of any problems with Grayson from those agencies before he was hired. Records obtained by WCIA showed he was investigated twice for his conduct while working at the Logan County Sheriff’s Office.

“Among the comments from his prior employers was that he ‘needed more training,'” Campbell said in the statement. “This is not unusual for deputies with Grayson’s experience, and is standard procedure for Sangamon County deputies. Grayson was subsequently sent to a 16-week academy training, a requirement for all new and lateral transfer deputies in our office.”

WCIA made attempts to reach out to the Butterfield family for comment prior to publication of this story, but has not heard back yet.

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