Previous Story
Suspect in abduction case facing murder charges
Posted On Sep 18 2016
Comment: Off
She was reported missing earlier this month.
Shawn M. Grate has been arrested and charged with multiple homicides after an OH woman called 911 while fearing for her life.
(AP Photo/Ann Sanner). Police tape cordons off the remains of a house.
A prosecutor said Friday Grate held the woman against her will for several days – from Sunday until Tuesday morning – and said the state believes the case against him is strong.
The charges against Grate do not mention how long the unidentified kidnapping victim was allegedly held captive.
After arresting Shawn Grate, who is homeless, detectives searched the remainder of the deserted residence and the surrounding area and found the dead bodies of three women.
Grate is being held without bail at the Ashland County Jail.
The woman, whose name has not been released, called OH police on Wednesday to tell them she had been abducted and tied up.
If convicted of murder, Grate faces a prison term of 15 years to life on each charge.
While friends and relatives were combing Ashland looking for her, another woman disappeared. Members of her family were at the crime scene on Tuesday after the bodies were discovered, hoping to hear word on their missing loved one. Shawn Grate allegedly led police officers to a third body close to the ruins of a burnt-out home.
The coroner has not determined how Stanley died and the second body has not yet been identified, Ashland police said in a statement.
Grate is accused of killing 43-year-old Stacey Hicks, also known as Stacey Stanley, and 29-year-old Elizabeth Griffith, Ashland County Prosecuting Attorney Christopher Tunnel said.
The third woman hasn’t been identified.
Judge Forstoefhel ruled that Grate was indigent and eligible for a court-appointed attorney. Grate’s bond hearing scheduled for late Thursday afternoon was cancelled.
The woman said she was in the same room as Grate and had been bleeding. “Let’s see”, it said, “if we can find 1 million who are unashamed to say with us Jesus watches over me”.
