MANSFIELD — Amber Nicole Bowman wants to move on from her marriage with Shawn Michael Grate, the prime suspect of a triple murder in Ashland and Richland counties.
“I have been estranged from my ex-husband for four years, and he is not a part of our lives,” Bowman said in a statement through an attorney. “My prayers are with the families who lost their loved ones to these horrific acts.
“For the sake of my innocent child, I ask that the press respect our privacy at this time.”
William Fithian III, an attorney in Mansfield, has represented Bowman’s family for a number of years for different things, according to Fithian’s legal assistant, Alicia Giess.
Richland County records show Bowman and Grate were married in December 2011. They have a daughter together. They then divorced roughly one year later.
Grate was arrested Tuesday afternoon when Ashland Police investigated a report of an abducted woman. Authorities reported finding two deceased bodies at a house on Covert Court in Ashland. He later led authorities to a property behind a burned out house on Park Avenue East in Madison Township where they found an additional dead body.
Grate has a long and checkered history with the law in multiple jurisdictions.
In Mansfield, he shows up in records dating to October 2012, when he allegedly helped another suspect get away with shoplifting at a Dollar General on Lexington Avenue.
In March 2013, his ex-wife, Amber, reported receiving threatening calls from Grate. The police report states Grate made the call because “she hasn’t given him any financial support since their divorce in December.” Amber had custody of the child and did not allow visitation, according to the police report.
In August 2013, Grate was charged with theft, receiving stolen property and for possession of marijuana after a call reporting suspicious behavior that involved Grate.
He was then charged with criminal mischief in April 2014 when he allegedly wrote “cheese” on a woman’s window.
Police records show Grate violated probation four times from July 2014 to February 2015.
A theft incident in February 2015 alleged Grate stole jewelry items from another woman. The police report listed her as Grate’s girlfriend at the time. When Richland Source called the woman she denied knowing Grate.
Early life, employment, church
According to his Facebook profile, Grate graduated from River Valley High School in 1995. One year later, he was convicted of burglary in Marion County. He was sentenced to four years in prison, but in 1997 his request for judicial release was granted and his sentence was commuted to five years of community control.
In 1999, Grate pleaded guilty to one count of abduction and was sentenced to five years of community control in Marion County. A second count of abduction and a child endangerment charge were dropped.
That was the same year, on Sept. 12, Grate had a son with Lisa Ball, according to birth records. Richland County Court records show a 2008 custody case with Ball and Grate as defendants. The plaintiff was Teresa McFarland. When called, McFarland declined to comment.
Grate’s Facebook profile indicates he started working at Mansfield’s Holiday Inn in 2015 as “a maintenance man.”
The hotel’s general manager declined to comment for this story.
According to Mansfield Baptist Temple Pastor Rob Kurtz, Grate attended the church on Stewart Road a number of years ago.
“Years ago he came here infrequently. Whatever he’s done … its getting worse by the day. He hasn’t been around here for a long time,” Kurtz said.
When asked if Grate brought family members with him to church, Kurtz declined to comment further.
Residence in Richland County
From 2012 to March 2016, Grate’s home address was listed as 165 Cliffbrook Dr., according to Richland County Sheriff and Mansfield Police Department records.
However, Grate is believed to have been homeless since June 2016, Richland County Sheriff Steve Sheldon said.
According to a case worker at Harmony House in Mansfield, Grate was a client there at some point in time. The case worker did not provide records to confirm.
“We don’t release information on clients,” the case worker said.
