ASHLAND – Jury selection has begun in the case against accused Ashland serial killer Shawn Grate.
Over 350 prospective jurors were divided into eight groups of approximately 45 each for the first phase of jury questioning, also known as voir dire.
The first group of jurors spent about four hours in Ashland County Common Pleas judge Ron Forsthoefel’s courtroom Monday as the judge read each of the 23 felony charges against Grate, administered an oath and asked questions of the jurors.
Ashland County Prosecutor Chris Tunnell and defense attorney Bob Whitney were then allowed to ask questions of the jurors and to recommend the judge remove potential jurors for cause.
From the first group, approximately 18 jurors were dismissed for cause. While some of the causes for juror dismissal were factors like medical conditions or college exams, several jurors were dismissed after admitting they had preconceived opinions about the case that they felt would hamper their abilities to be impartial.
“I’ve heard the 9-1-1 tape, and there’s no way that I could be unbiased about this,” one prospective juror said. “I have a hatred for this man that I don’t even know.”
Forsthoefel said he expects jury selection to take approximately two weeks. Following four days of the large group voir dire that began Monday, the court expects to begin small group and individual questioning Friday and to continue that process next week.
After that, approximately 50 remaining jurors will be brought back for final questioning, peremptory challenges (when the prosecution or defense may ask that a juror be removed without cause) and the seating of a 12-member jury. The judge plans to seat five alternates in addition to the actual jurors.
Opening arguments in the case are expected to begin around April 23, and the trial phase could take about a week and a half to two weeks. Jurors will be sequestered during deliberations until they reach a verdict, Forsthoefel said.
Because the death penalty is possible in this case, there may be a second phase of trial and deliberations following the verdict to determine sentencing if Grate is convicted.
Grate faces 23 charges, including four counts of aggravated murder, four counts of kidnapping, two counts of gross abuse of a corpse, four counts of burglary, tampering with evidence, four counts of rape, aggravated robbery, unauthorized use of a vehicle and tampering with evidence.
If the jury finds Grate guilty of aggravated murder and finds that the crimes meet certain specifications, he could receive the death penalty.
Grate is accused of kidnapping and murdering Stacey Stanley and Elizabeth Griffith and kidnapping a third woman. The third woman’s 9-1-1 call Sept. 13, 2016 led authorities to two houses on Covert Court in Ashland, where they found the bodies of Stanley and Griffith and arrested Grate.
Authorities said Grate admitted to murdering five women, including two in Richland County and one in Marion County. Only the two alleged murders in Ashland County’s jurisdiction are part of this case.
