Naman Shrestha
In 2016, an unidentified survivor dialed 911 and informed the police that she was kidnapped and sexually assaulted, after which the authorities rescued her and captured the then-suspect, Shawn Grate. Upon being interrogated by Kim Mager, he confessed to multiple crimes involving five different women across the state of Ohio. The entire investigation surrounding Shawn and his crimes is covered in detail in the episode titled ‘Meet the Other Me’ of ABC’s ’20/20,’ which also consists of insightful interviews with the victim’s loved ones and officials linked to the case.
Shawn Grate Had Troubles With the Law From an Early Age
Born on August 8, 1976, to Terry Grate and Theresa McFarland in Marion, Ohio, Shawn Michael Grate reportedly had a good childhood until a couple of days before his sixth birthday as his parents parted ways. When he was 11 years old, Shawn’s mother relocated to Kentucky with her boyfriend. While residing with his father, he went to River Valley High School and developed a passion and talent for baseball. In the summer of 1994, his father officially won custody of him and his brother. Shawn’s first run-in with the law came on November 24, 1994, when he was reportedly arrested for grabbing his girlfriend’s throat.
A year after his graduation, Shawn, along with a juvenile accomplice, stole jewelry and money from a Marion County house on October 23, 1996. A few months later, he was convicted and sentenced to four years in prison for the same. However, he was released before the completion of his sentence in October 1997. It appeared that he remained out of trouble in the following years, as there were no reported complaints against him until 2016. In the summer of 2016, Shawn reportedly met a woman with whom he got close and spent a lot of time. However, when he asked for something more than friendship, she rejected him as she claimed she did not believe in premarital sex.
Shawn Grate Admitted to Committing Multiple Murders After His Arrest
Although Shawn told her that he understood the situation, he went on to hold her captive before sexually assaulting her multiple times. In one instance, the woman saw a window of opportunity when he was sleeping. She called the police and informed them of the situation before escaping from his apartment. Thanks to her efforts, on September 13, 2016, the police arrived at Shawn’s house and took him into custody on the spot. While going through his property, the investigators also came across the bodies of two women, Stacey Stanley and Elizabeth Griffith. As it turned out, the killer had taken the lives of three more women besides Stacey and Elizabeth.
According to reports, during his interrogation with Kim Mager over the course of eight days and several hours, he admitted to being involved in the murders of Candice Cunningham, Rebekah Leicy, and Dana Nicole Lowrey between 2006 and 2016 in and around northern Ohio. After he confessed to the five murders in a press interview and got indicted for his crimes, his defense attorneys filed a plea of not guilty by reason of insanity. Initially, Shawn’s trial date was scheduled for November 2017, but it was delayed due to unexpected circumstances until April 2018.
Shawn Grate is Currently Serving His Sentence Behind Bars
About a couple of years after his arrest, Shawn Grate stood trial for his crimes on April 23, 2018. During the trial, the prosecution presented multiple pieces of evidence and testimonies to prove his guilt. After pleading guilty to 15 of the total charges against him, he was convicted of killing Stacey Stanley and Elizabeth Griffith. For the same charges, he received a death penalty on June 1, 2018. While his execution was appealed by the defense to the Ohio Supreme Court, he also pleaded guilty to the killings of Rebekah Leicy and Candice Cunningham on March 1, 2019.
For the murder of Rebekah, he received a life imprisonment sentence without the possibility of parole. He was sentenced to an additional 17 years to life in prison for other charges related to the same crimes. A few months later, on September 11, he pleaded guilty to killing Dana Lowrey, for which he was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole and an additional 16 years. On December 10, 2020, his appeal against his death sentence was denied. Despite the rejection of his appeal, he continued his efforts to reopen his death penalty case with the help of new attorneys over the years. As of today, he is awaiting the date of his execution, which is reportedly scheduled for March 19, 2025, at Ross Correctional Institution in Chillicothe, Ohio.
Read More: Kim Mager: Where is the Detective Now?
