MANSFIELD – As the Ashland County case against Shawn Grate is drawing to a close, Richland County Prosecutor Gary Bishop is preparing to begin the county’s own case against the convicted murderer and suspected serial killer.
“We had an agreement with Ashland County that we would not proceed with our case until they were finished with theirs,” Bishop said Monday, after an Ashland County jury on Friday recommended the death penalty for Grate.
The jury convicted Grate of eight felony charges, including four counts of aggravated murder for the killing of Elizabeth Griffith and Stacey Stanley. Grate previously changed his plea to guilty on the other 15 charges in the 23-count indictment, including four rape charges.Â
Bishop referred to the decision to prosecute the cases in separate counties consecutively as “a fairness analysis” based on the idea that if the crimes had been prosecuted at the same time, pretrial publicity would have be so great that it would likely have necessitated a resource-intensive change-of-venue.Â
Whether a change of venue will be needed in a Richland County case against Grate remains to be seen, Bishop said, adding that the court would first call a large pool of potential jurors and attempt to seat a jury locally before considering such a change.Â
“I know it’s hard to believe, but there are some people who do not watch the news or read the paper and have not heard about this case,” Bishop said. “The more publicity there is, the less chance there is of finding those people.”
The recent case in Ashland County has drawn coverage not only from local outlets but also from Cleveland and Columbus media outlets. The case has also received national attention.Â
Grate’s ex-wife, Amber Bowman, is scheduled to appear on Dr. Phil Friday, May 25.Â
Bishop said it would be premature and inappropriate for him to discuss what specific charges he will seek or the planned timing for filing those charges.Â
Though Grate is expected to be sentenced to the death in Ashland County, Bishop said he believes the Richland County case is worth pursuing.Â
“Tell me the value of a human life,” he said. “My thought is we’re going to seek justice for the victims, and cost has never been a factor in that.”
Bishop said he expects the court will appoint a new attorney to represent Grate in Richland County, if and when the prosecutor files charges. Attorneys Bob and Rolf Whitney have represented Grate in the Ashland County case.Â
In Richland County, Grate is said to be connected to the deaths of two women and the rape of a third.
On September 13, 2016, the same day Grate was arrested at 363 Covert Court in Ashland and the bodies of Griffith and Stanley were found, Grate led authorities to the body of Candice Cunningham behind a burned house on Park Avenue East in Madison Township.Â
Grate has also been connected to the death of Rebekah Leicy, whose body was found in 2015. Though her death was originally believed to be the result of an overdose, Mansfield police reopened the case in the days following Grate’s arrest.Â
According to testimony from Ashland Police Detective Kim Mager, Grate also confessed to raping a woman in Mansfield a couple years before his arrest.Â
In addition to the Ashland and Richland County victims, Grate has reportedly admitted to murdering a woman in Marion County.Â
