Convicted serial killer Shawn Grate's death sentence upheld Ohio high court says defense counsel erred but not to 'reversible' level ASHLAND - The Ohio Supreme Court on Thursday unanimously affirmed the convictions and death sentence for Shawn Grate in the murder of two women in Ashland County. Grate, who murdered at least five women in three Ohio counties, was convicted in 2018 of killing Stacey Stanley, 43, and Elizabeth Griffith, 29, after a lengthy jury trial in Ashland County Common Pleas Court. The jury recommended the death penalty for Grate, and Judge Ron Forsthoefel agreed. Grate's one-man crime spree ended after he kidnapped a woman prosecutors identified as Jane Doe. Grate raped her multiple times, but she managed to escape after calling 911 with Grate's phone on Sept. 13, 2016.