ASHLAND – Concurring with the jury’s death penalty recommendations, Judge Ronald Forsthoefel on Friday sentenced convicted killer Shawn Grate to two lethal injections, plus a minimum of 90 years to life in prison.
Though a direct appeal process will follow as a result of the death sentence, Forsthoefel symbolically ordered the lethal injections take place Sept. 13– two years to the day Grate was arrested.
The announcement of the sentence was met with robust applause from the courtroom gallery, which was filled with dozens of the victims’ family members and their supporters.
Many members of the Stanley family wore purple t-shirts with “Justice For Stacey” printed on the front and “#StanleyStrong printed on the back.
After the hearing, family members gathered on the courthouse steps to sing Amazing Grace and release purple and yellow balloons in memory of aggravated murder victims Stacey Stanley and Elizabeth Griffith.
“Today is a good day, mostly for all of you guys, and for myself,” Grate said to the families. “I hope we can just move on from this. I can’t say I’m normal, but I know right from wrong.”
Grate went on to ask the families of his victims for their forgiveness and to say he wanted justice to be served.
“That’s the most important, for Elizabeth and Stacey and (Jane Doe) … I’m sorry for all human beings to have to hear this. If I could change it, I would, not for me but for you guys,” Grate said.
Stacey Stanley’s family speaks
Kurtis Stanley, one of Stacey Stanley’s son’s, spoke next.
“I’ll probably never forgive you,” he said, looking Grate in the eyes.
Crying, Kurtis Stanley described the pain he feels every night, knowing he will never see his mother again.
“You took my mom, my daughter’s granddaughter, all that stuff,” he said. “I can’t get that back.”
Kurtis Stanley asked Grate if he knew what it was like to bury a loved one.
“I had to go and pick a casket out,” he said. “I didn’t expect that, this young… I didn’t get to tell her goodbye. I didn’t get to kiss her in the casket. No, you took all that from me at a young age.”
Stacey Stanley’s other son, Kory Stanley, described the anxiety from which he has suffered since his mother’s murder.
“My mom’s never going to walk me down the aisle and see me get married and have kids,” he said. “I’m 24 years old, man.”
Several of Stanley’s siblings also spoke. They described a loving sister with a beautiful smile who cared deeply for her sons, showered the family with gifts and especially enjoyed showing her love through her cooking.
Her brother, Scott Adams, called Grate a monster and told him, “You deserve much more than what you will get.”
Another brother, Nick Adams, described the “emotional roller coaster” his family has been on since September 2016, when Grate killed Stacey Stanley.
“For eight days, we had to listen and look at the photos of my baby sister, and of Elizabeth,” Nick Adams said. “We listened as he described my baby sister’s head banging on the stairs as he drug her down the steps… I’m here to tell you that my sister was not trash, and she did not deserve to be treated like trash.”
Gina Stanley, Stacey Stanley’s sister, said Stacey’s murder left a massive hole in the family.
“I miss my sister every day,” she said. “I miss her smile, her laughter and her interactions with our family.”
Gina Stanley described the heartbreak of watching her nephews cope with the loss of their mother and watching her father’s health deteriorate following his daughter’s death.
“On that fateful day in September when you decided to play God, it was not only Stacey’s lives that were taken,” she said. “All of our lives were taken in some way.”
Joe Stanley, another of Stacey’s brothers, had planned to give a prepared statement.
“I have so much here to read, but I can’t really do it. You took– you took a lot from us,” he said, his voice breaking.
Ron Stanley, Stacey Stanley’s uncle, described the family as “big and tight” and said that while Grate could not possibly grasp what he did to the family, the family will only be made stronger and tighter.
Elizabeth Griffith’s family speaks
Elizabeth Griffith’s mother, Judy Griffith, was the first member of the Griffith family to speak.
“You robbed me,” she told Grate. “You robbed me big time. That was my daughter.”
Judy Griffith told stories of how her daughter routinely gave whatever she had to people in need.
“She gave her $1,000 bed away and probably slept on the floor, because that’s the way she is,” Judy Griffith said. “I needed money for my mortgage, and she gave me $0.76 in an envelope and said, ‘Here mom. This will cover it.'”
Judy Griffith went on to call the death penalty “much too kind” compared to what Grate deserves.
Roy Keith Griffith, Elizabeth Griffith’s uncle, said he was there to speak on behalf of his brother, Elizabeth’s dad. He said while he was trying to stay away from hatred, he feels that Grate is a monster.
“Elizabeth was a sweet, Christian girl, and you killed her,” he said.
Sabrina Culler, Elizabeth Griffith’s cousin, described Elizabeth as a beautiful soul with her whole life ahead of her.
She told Grate his words are empty.
“You say you’re not normal. Your childhood was rough?” she said. “I bet there’s a lot of people in here that didn’t have a perfect upbringing either, and we’re not murders.”
Culler suggested Grate would have killed Jane Doe had she not escaped and managed to call 9-1-1. Grate nodded in the affirmative.
“(She) wouldn’t have been that last one either, would she have?” Culler asked. Grate shook his head as if to say no.
Another cousin, Cathy Shay, told Grate that “If we choose to forgive you, it’s because that’s what God has asked us to do. It has nothing to do with you.”
She asked Grate to bypass any appeals he has the power to bypass in order to ensure the families don’t have to see or hear of him again.
Prosecutor speaks
Ashland County Prosecutor Chris Tunnell told the judge he believes Grate is supremely deserving of the death penalty and of maximum consecutive sentences.
“To be frank, he is the reason we have the death penalty exists in the state of Ohio,” Tunnell said.
Following the sentencing, Tunnell told reporters that based on the facts and evidence in the case, he was not surprised by the verdict or the sentence.
That said, Tunnell emphasized the case was not easy and that prosecuting it well required a lot of time and effort on the part of himself and his staff as well as law enforcement.
“There’s all kinds of ways things can go wrong,” he said. “It’s a matter of presenting things in a manner that makes it difficult for the defense to chip away at it… There’s no such thing as a slam dunk or an easy case.”
Shawn Grate death penalty press release
Tunnell said he chooses to focus on some of the positives that came after the tragedy of Grate’s crimes.
“The takeaway from it is not to focus on the negative,” he said. “It’s to demonstrate that in the last two years I’ve seen the community come together. I think there are some positives out of the case. I think there’s an increased awareness that troubles of the world can come here to Ashland as well. I think we’re a little more vigilant, and I don’t think that’s necessarily a bad thing.”
In a press release, Tunnell said, “Nothing will ever fully erase the pain and heartbreak caused by the unspeakable crimes committed by this depraved killer. Thanks to the hard work of so many, we delivered some measure of justice to the victims and their families and we ensured that Shawn Grate will be held fully accountable for his acts of evil.”
Shortly after the hearing, Tunnell notified Ashland Mayor Matt Miller and other city officials that they may now demolish 363 Covert Court, the house where many of Grate’s crimes occurred. Miller previously said the city intends to tear down that house, along with 365 Covert Court, as soon as possible.
Tunnell said he looks forward to the next phase of appellate review.
The case will automatically be reviewed by the Ohio Supreme Court, and Grate has 30 days to file a notice of appeal on the verdict or the sentence. The judge appointed Donald R. Hicks of Akron as Grate’s attorney for the appellate process.
