The sentencing phase is set to begin today after an Ohio jury convicted Shawn Grate of aggravated murder and kidnapping for the deaths of victims Elizabeth Griffith and Stacey Stanley. Dozens of supporters for the victims have gathered in the courtroom, as the convicted serial killer awaits to hear his fate.
Testimony during the trial revealed that Grate held a woman against her will in an abandoned house. There, he bound her and raped her. After several days of attacks, Grate fell asleep. The victim was able to free herself, get her hands on a phone, and call 911. When the police arrived, officers found two other decaying bodies sealed up in the house. Grate later showed police a choke hold he claims to have used to kill those victims. He also told reporters that he had killed additional victims, but that remains officially unconfirmed. The surviving victim testified about her horrific ordeal at trial. Officers and laboratory analysis discussed the two victims who were found dead
During the middle of the guilt phase of the trial, Grate pleaded guilty to fifteen of the 23 charges he faced. Grate told the judge he was pleading guilty to those charges to avoid continuing to rub his crimes into people’s faces.
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