Suspected serial killer Grate appears for hearing ahead of April 9 trial

Mark Caudill
Mansfield News Journal
Shawn Grate

ASHLAND - The trial of suspected serial killer Shawn Grate is getting close.

His trial is set to begin April 9 before Ashland County Common Pleas Judge Ron Forsthoefel. He has been in jail for more than 17 months.

Grate, 41, is charged with 23 counts. Those include aggravated murder in connection with the deaths of two women. If convicted, he could get the death penalty.

Sporting a beard, Grate appeared by video from the jail for his final pretrial Monday afternoon. 

The bodies of Stacey Stanley, 43, and Elizabeth Griffith, 29, were recovered Sept. 13, 2016, in an abandoned house at 363 Covert Court near downtown Ashland.

Both women were strangled, according to final autopsy reports.

He also faces kidnapping and rape charges connected to a third woman who called 911 from the house, saying she had been abducted.

In addition to his current case in Ashland, Grate is a suspect in the deaths of three other women.

Monday, Forsthoefel tended to a few housekeeping issues ahead of the trial, which is expected to last several weeks.

The judge told Prosecutor Chris Tunnell and defense attorneys Robert and Rolf Whitney he would initially bring in about 50 potential jurors at a time.

Forsthoefel said he would break that down to six to eight jurors coming in for individual voir dire, when attorneys ask them questions.

He wanted to know how long attorneys would need with each smaller group of jurors.

Robert Whitney estimated about an hour.

"A half-hour could be pushing it," Whitney said.

Witness lists were due Monday, but Forsthoefel gave both sides an extension until Thursday.

The judge said reports from experts are due March 19. 

"My concern is do they know when the deadlines are?" Forsthoefel said. "That is a hard deadline, be it mitigation or the guilt phase of the trial."

He said he wanted experts on each side to have time to review their counterparts' reports.

Grate's trial had originally been scheduled for Nov. 6, but defense attorneys filed a motion to continue to give two expert witnesses more time to prepare.

Forsthoefel sounded like he didn't want another continuance. He told attorneys to make sure their experts meet the deadline.

"If I get that (request for more time) that expert's going to be here in my courtroom to explain how they are having trouble," the judge said.

Neither side wanted a jury view, so jurors will not go to the crime scene.

Further, Forsthoefel said any motions to suppress would likely be denied at this late date.

The judge also said he would not allow members of the gallery to have cellphones in the court. Law enforcement witnesses will not bring their weapons to the courtroom.

"I think it's for everybody's safety," Forsthoefel said.

mcaudill@gannett.com

419-521-7219

Twitter: @MNJCaudill