ASHLAND, OH (WCMH) — Shawn M. Grate pleaded not guilty today to multiple charges including murder and kidnapping.
On September 22, the Ashland County Grand Jury handed a down a 23-count felony indictment against Grate. All counts
The charges include two counts of aggravated murder, each one of which would be punishable either by life imprisonment without parole or the death penalty. Additional charges include kidnapping, rape, burglary and gross abuse of a corpse.
The Ashland County prosecutor is seeking the death penalty against the suspected serial killer.
In additional to the death penalty, the maximum prison sentence that could be given for conviction of all these crimes is 166 years.
Grate pleaded not guilty to the charges today via a video arraignment.
The full list of felony counts are:
- Aggravated Murder of Elizabeth A. Griffith (F1)
- Second charge of Aggravated Murder of Elizabeth A. Griffith (F1)
- Kidnapping of Elizabeth A, Griffith (F1)
- Gross Abuse of the Corpse of Elizabeth A. Griffith (F5)
- Burglary of the residence of Elizabeth A. Griffith (F3)
- Tampering with Evidence (F3)
- Aggravated Murder of Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F1)
- Second charge of Aggravated Murder of Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F1)
- Kidnapping of Stacey J. Hicks, aka: Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F1)
- Second charge of Kidnapping of Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F1)
- Rape of Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F1)
- Aggravated Robbery of Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F1)
- Gross Abuse of the Corpse of Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F5)
- Unauthorized Use of a Vehicle of Stacey J. Hicks/Stanley (F5)
- Kidnapping of Jane Doe (F1)
- Rape of Jane Doe (F1)
- Second charge of Rape of Jane Doe (F1)
- Third charge of Rape of Jane Doe (F1)
- Robbery of Jane Doe (F3)
- Burglary (F3)
- Burglary (F3)
- Burglary (F3)
- Breaking and Entering (F5)
According to the Marion County Sheriff’s Office Shawn Grate had admitted to killing a woman in Marion back in 2005.
Her skeletal remains were discovered in March 2007 about a mile from the home Grate grew up in.
Sheriff Tim Bailey says his investigators have met with Grate in jail to learn as much as they can about him.
They are trying to identify the body of the woman he allegedly killed in Marion.
Detectives recently showed him a sketch of the woman that the sheriffs office released in 2007.
Grate said the sketch did not look like the woman he has claimed responsibility for killing.
Authorities with the Marion County Sheriffs Office are working with state officials to come up with a new sketch. They will be bringing a sketch artist to Grate in jail to create it.
They say they hope to have a new sketch to release across the country in less than two weeks.
