Insanity plea withdrawn for man charged with killing 2 women

ASHLAND, Ohio – The attorneys for an Ohio man charged with abducting and killing two women say he is dropping his plea of not guilty by reason of insanity.

Forty-year-old Shawn Grate refused to leave his cell Friday and appear on video for a hearing in Ashland County Common Pleas Court.

Grate pleaded not guilty in October. He awaits trial on charges that include aggravated murder and kidnapping in the deaths of 29-year-old Elizabeth Griffith and 43-year-old Stacey Stanley. He could face the death penalty if convicted.

The women’s bodies were found last September inside a supposedly unoccupied home in Ashland after a third woman called 911 from a bedroom and said Grate was holding her hostage.

Grate’s attorneys aren’t permitted to comment because of a judge’s gag order.