Disclaimer: The article contains mentions of murder and sexual assault. Reader discretion is advised.
In September 2016, authorities apprehended serial killer Shawn Grate following a distress call from a woman who reported her abduction by him. Reports indicate that Grate also confessed to killing a couple of women in the late 2000s. However, as the investigations progressed, police revealed that the serial killer murdered three more women. Although he entered a not-guilty plea before the trial, a jury found him guilty of murdering two women, following which the court sentenced him to death.
According to The Washington Post, police discovered the lifeless bodies of two women in an abandoned house in Ashland County, Ohio. The publication mentioned that they found one of the bodies underneath a pile of clothes. Meanwhile, they discovered the second body in the basement of the abandoned apartment. Upon his arrest and alleged confession, investigators noted that Shawn Grate targeted women who had addiction problems.
Another report by The Washington Post stated that although he and his attorneys filed a not-guilty plea, Shawn Grate talked to different media outlets and publicly announced that he killed five women. Formally, the court charged him with killing two women and sentenced him to death in that case. However, in 2019, he confessed to killing two more women.
Mansfield News Journal reported that the court charged him with 14 counts related to the killings and pleaded guilty to aggravated murder and gross abuse of the corpse of one of his victims. The court sentenced him to life in prison for one murder, while 17 years to life for the remaining charges.
In September 2019, he pleaded guilty to another murder and was sentenced to life term. Per Mansfield News Journal, Shawn Grate is currently at Chillicothe Correctional Institution, Ohio.
How was Shawn Grate caught?
Authorities arrested Shawn Grate when a woman called 911 and told the dispatcher that Grate had kidnapped her. CBS News reported that the woman informed the police of her situation when Grate was sleeping. The publication stated that she talked to the authorities for 17 minutes and begged them to save her. During the call, she said, “I’ve been abducted. Please hurry.” The woman also informed that she couldn’t leave the house because the kidnapper locked the door. She added, “the bedroom is closed and he made it [the door] so it would make noise.”
Police soon arrived at the house and arrested Grate. During the trial, the survivor took the stand and opened up about the abuse she endured at the hands of Shawn Grate. According to Mansfield News Journal, the duo walked back to his place after a meetup. Although she didn’t want to stay, Grate kept her there for more than two nights. Citing her statement, the outlet noted that Grate sexually assaulted her multiple times and tied her up at least three times. When asked how Grate assaulted her, she said, “In every way imaginable.”
The survivor also stated that she tried fighting initially but stopped when he started choking her. The woman said, “He started pulling the Bible out of my hand. I looked up at him, and that’s when he said, ‘You’re not going anywhere.’ I tried to push him away.” She added that she “tried to kick, and punch,” but her attempts were futile, which made her believe she “couldn’t get out of it.”
Prosecutors made the jurors hear the confession tapes
A medical officer noted that the survivor had “vaginal injuries,” along with bruises across her body. During the closing arguments, the prosecutors told the juries to remember what Shawn Grate said about his victims during the interrogation. Citing the prosecutor’s statement, NBC News reported, “This is not a spur-of-the-moment killing. Take a broad view of the evidence. What do you know of this victim? Listen to what he says. Look at what he did.”
However, the defense lawyers tried to prove that their client was innocent. But because of Grate’s confession, prosecutors claimed that he would be held accountable for his crimes. Eventually, he received a death sentence for killing two women. As per Mansfield News Journal, Grate filed a request to reopen his death penalty case, but the court denied that request.
