On the second day of Shawn Grate's murder trial, Ohio Bureau of Criminal Investigation agent Ed Staley took the stand to testify about the terrible things he saw inside 363 Covert Court, where the bodies of two women were found.
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On Sept. 13, 2016, police initially arrived at the home after a woman called 911 to report she had been kidnapped by Grate.
She was rescued by police. What authorities found inside the residence was horrifying. Investigators located the decomposing body of Stacey Hicks in the basement on the cold concrete floor, buried under a pile of trash and debris, Staley told jurors.
Hicks was naked from the waist down and had a cloth tied around her neck. It appeared she had been strangled.
Upstairs, authorities made another grisly discovery — a closet covered in duct tape with a "deplorable smell" emanating from it. Inside was the body of Liz Griffith hidden under a pile of clothing. Like Hicks, Griffith had also been tied up.
Staley presented evidence to the jury — brass knuckles and a stun gun — weapons that investigators say Grate may have used on his victims.
During the agent's testimony, Grate sat quietly and showed little emotion as the clock ticked on.
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