Ashland County murder suspect reportedly confesses to another killing

MARION, Ohio — The suspect in the kidnapping of one woman and the murders of two others didn't say much in court this morning, but investigators say he keeps talking to them and leading them to more bodies in Central Ohio. On top of the two women in Ashland County, and victim in Richland County, authorities say Shawn Grate told them he murdered a woman whose body was discovered in Marion County in 2007. That victim has yet to be identified.

Marion County Sheriff Tim Bailey said Grate confessed to the Marion murder last Thursday, and that his investigators interviewed Grate on Friday. Bailey said Grate claims the woman sold his mother magazines and that the magazines never arrived. So Grate said he sought the woman out, lured her into his car on the promise of buying more magazines, then killed her and dumped her body in a rural area not far from Marion Correctional Institution.

Bailey said Grate got nervous about the situation about a year later and went back and set the remains on fire. Bailey said Grate couldn't remember exactly when the murder occurred and said it could have possibly been as early as 2003. The woman's remains were discovered in 2007. The Sheriff said Grate claimed the Marion County murder was his first.

After his arrest last week, Grate led investigators to a body in a wooded area of Richland County, behind a burned house. Mansfield police have also reopened the investigation into the death of a woman whose body was found in 2015.

At that time investigators thought Rebekah Leicy died of an overdose. Mansfield police chief Ken Coontz wouldn't comment when asked if Grate confessed killing Leicy, but did acknowledge the case was reopened because of information learned in the wake of Grate's arrest.

Grate pleaded not guilty to two counts of murder and one count of kidnapping in Ashland Monday morning.