ASHLAND, Ohio – An Ohio man on trial in the slayings of two women has pleaded guilty to 15 counts that don't include aggravated murder and kidnapping charges.
The Ashland Times-Gazette reports 41-year-old Shawn Grate entered guilty pleas to charges that include rape and abuse of a corpse Wednesday in Ashland County.
His trial continues on potential death penalty charges in the 2016 strangulation deaths of 29-year-old Elizabeth Griffith and 43-year-old Stacey Stanley. His trial began last week.
Grate also faces a kidnapping charge for abducting a third woman who escaped from the Ashland home where the bodies of the two women were found.
Jurors have spent several days watching Grate's videotaped confession to Ashland police. Grate told police he killed two other women but hasn't been charged for those deaths.
Grate he faces a maximum of 72 years in prison on the charges he pleaded guilty to Wednesday.
___
This story has been corrected to show that Shawn Grate has pleaded guilty to counts including rape and abuse of a corpse, not aggravated murder and kidnapping.
The hottest stories ripped from the headlines, from crime to courts, legal and scandal.
