ASHLAND — Murder suspect Shawn Michael Grate entered a plea of not guilty during his arraignment Monday morning in Ashland County Common Pleas Court.
Appearing via Skype from Ashland County Jail where he is being held, Grate also waived his right to a speedy trial. He was represented by attorney Rolf Whitney.
Judge Ronald Forsthoefel ordered the case bound over to an Ashland County grand jury for consideration of an indictment on the charges. Grate’s next court appearance was set for Thursday, Sept. 29 at 8 a.m.
Grate is being held on $1 million bond on two murder charges and one charge of kidnapping.
Grate was arrested Tuesday after a 911 call from a woman claiming she was being held against her will led police to two homes on Covert Court.
Upon arrival, officers found Grate and the abducted woman who has not been identified. Police and discovered two bodies. The victims have been identified as 43-year-old Stacey Stanley of Greenwich and Elizabeth Griffith, 29, of Ashland. Stanley went missing on Sept. 8 and Griffith was last seen on Aug. 16
Grate directed authorities to a third body in a wooded area behind a burned-out home on Park Avenue East in Madison Township.
Several news sources have reported over the weekend that Grate has led authorities to a body in Marion County related to a 2007 missing woman case, and Mansfield Police have reopened the investigation into the death of Rebekah Leicy. Leicy was reported missing in February of 2015 and her body was found in rural Ashland County on March 16, 2015. Her death was ruled a drug overdose after an investigation by the Cuyahoga County Coroner.
