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Ohio detective brings down ‘Ladykiller’ Shawn Grate with 33-hour interrogation: ‘A hunger to kill’
When Kim Mager sat across from Shawn Grate, she was expecting to interact with another sex offender, one of many from her decades-long career.
Mager, a 30-year veteran of the Ashland City Police Department in Ohio, had no idea she was face-to-face with a serial killer. She interrogated him for 33 hours over eight days.
“When I first started speaking to him, I didn’t find his personality to be that far off from other sex offenders, and I’ve interviewed many sex offenders,” the retired detective told Fox News Digital. “So, he was unremarkable to me. A lot of things he would say flowed like a typical conversation. His thought process seemed to be the same as anyone else.
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Shawn Grate addressing the court before his sentencing. (Jason J. Molyet/News Journal via Imagn)
“But there was a difference,” she added. “That all changed when he spoke of his desire, his hunger. Those were his words — ‘a hunger to kill.’”
Mager collaborated with author Lisa Pulitzer to write “A Hunger to Kill: A Serial Killer, a Determined Detective, and a Quest for a Confession That Changed a Small Town Forever.” It details how Mager closed in on — and broke — one of Ohio’s most infamous serial killers.
“I’ve been asked at least 30 times to speak out about the case, and I’ve declined every single time,” said Mager. “But then, I was approached by a family member of one of the victims. That family member came up to me in tears, saying the victim was being portrayed so negatively by some podcasts. This family member was very upset. She said, ‘Please do something.’”
Ashland Police Department Det. Kim Mager testifies during the trial of Shawn Grate in 2018 in Ashland County Common Pleas Court. (Tom E. Puskar/USA Today Network/Imagn)
“I knew I had to share this story — the right story,” said Mager. “And it’s important to let people know that what these victims experienced, this could happen to them. … It could have been me.”
On Sept. 13, 2016, Mager was in the shower when her phone started ringing. It was her captain. Emergency dispatchers had received a 911 call from a woman who claimed she was kidnapped by Grate.
Mager rushed to the station to interview the woman. By then, Grate had been tracked down by investigators. He was arrested and charged.
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Kim Mager’s memoir, “A Hunger to Kill,” is available in bookstores now. (St. Martins Press)
According to Mager’s book, Jane Doe had bruises all over her face, arms and legs. There were fresh scratches and others that had healed. Some injuries were bluish-purple, others swollen and red. Splashes of maroon took over her neck and upper torso. Her eyes were bloodshot, and her face was stained with tears.
The jury recommended the death penalty for Shawn Grate. The judge agreed. (Brian J. Smith/USA Today Network/Imagn)
“I felt the weight of what had happened to her,” Mager said. “It’s hard for victims to talk about what happened to them — harder than anyone could imagine. It’s something even more difficult than speaking with a suspect. But I needed to get everything I could to get him.”
As an experienced specialist in sex offenses, Mager was one of the officers assigned to Grate’s case.
Interviewing Jane Doe proved to be an emotional experience for Kim Mager. She was determined to get justice. (Jason J. Molyet/USA Today Network/Imagn)
“I didn’t recognize his name at all,” Mager admitted. “We were unfamiliar with him.”
Grate was known as a charmer and a drifter who was friendly to anyone he encountered. But that “nice guy” façade quickly faded in the interrogation room.
“My first impression was that he looked physically fit,” Mager explained. “He was muscular. Before you even made eye contact with him, the first thing you noticed was his physique. He also looked like he hadn’t showered.”
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Shawn Grate, a drifter, was described as “a nice guy” and a “charmer.” (Tom E. Puska/USA Today Network/Imagn)
“When we finally made eye contact, you instantly notice his blue eyes — these piercing blue eyes,” she said.
Like a real-life Clarice Starling from “The Silence of the Lambs,” she would sit alone in the interview room with the accused predator.
Mager soon learned there were other victims.
The last home of Shawn Grate at 132 W. Second St. is filled with woodworking tools, cigarette butts, stuffed animals and other personal effects. (Jason J. Molyet/USA Today Network/Imagn)
“He’s opportunistic,” she explained. “If an opportunity is there, he seizes it. … Looking at these victims, you might see two who look similar, and then you see someone who’s completely different.
“You have one who’s leading a life of faith, who has more faith in God than almost anyone I know,” she continued. “Someone who would never have a man’s phone number on her phone because she’s so sound in her beliefs. And then you had another who sold her body at times. These women all had different lifestyles. There is no one victim type other than the opportunity that was there, whether it came to him or he created that opportunity.”
Following Grate’s arrest, police discovered the remains of Stacey Stanley, 43, and Elizabeth Griffith, 29, in the vacant Ashland home where Grate had been living. Grate confessed to the murders.
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A bench in memory of Stacey Stanley and Elizabeth Griffith, victims of serial killer Shawn Grate, has been placed near the playground at New London’s Recreation Park. (Tom E. Puskar/USA Today Network/Imagn)
Stanley was described as someone who was down on her luck, Oxygen.com reported. According to the outlet, Grate made it seem like he was going to help her with a flat tire before he abducted and assaulted her.
Griffith was said to be struggling with her mental health and had gone missing.
According to the outlet, Grate confessed to the murder of 29-year-old Candice Cunningham, a woman he dated. He took authorities to a wooden area about 12 miles from Ashland where he dumped her body. He also confessed to killing 31-year-old Rebekah Leicy, who had issues with drugs. She was reported missing in February 2015.
Robert Leicy and Cindy Tilton look at photos of his daughter Rebekah Leicy. Serial killer Shawn Grate pleaded guilty to Rebekah’s murder. (Jason J. Molyet/News Journal/Imagn)
The outlet noted Grate also admitted to killing 23-year-old Dana Lowrey, who had disappeared in 2005. Her remains were found in 2007, less than a mile from Grate’s home. She was selling magazines at the time. According to reports, it is believed that Lowrey was Grate’s first victim.
Lisa Zener said Shawn Grate approached her daughter weeks before two bodies were discovered. (Brian J. Smith-USA Today Network)
Doe said she met Grate in the summer of 2016. They would talk about the Bible, go on long walks and play tennis, the Mansfield News Journal reported. While Grate hinted he wanted more than a friendship, Doe said she turned him down and explained she didn’t believe in premarital sex due to her beliefs. Grate told her he respected her decision.
It was a lie.
Grate held Doe captive and sexually assaulted her “in every way imaginable.” While he was asleep, Doe managed to escape and call police.
Grate told Mager he wanted to know what drove him to kill.
Dana Nicole Lowrey’s skeletal remains were found in 2007. She vanished in 2005. (Sarah Volpenhein/Marion Star/Imagn)
“He was asking why he did it because he didn’t know,” Mager explained. “As we explored his childhood, he would come up with all of these different things that happened in his life but couldn’t definitively say any of those things caused it. … He asked me over and over, ‘Why did I do this? Why do you think I did this?’
“He talked a lot about … his relationships with his family,” Mager continued. “He talked about what he claimed was the promiscuity of his mother, who he said abandoned him. He talked about an incident when he was 4 years old. … He said he was on the sofa, watching cartoons that he could put on himself. But he wanted cereal, and he needed his mom’s help. He knocked on the bedroom door, and she didn’t come out. He knocked again. No answer.
Shawn Grate is seen here sitting with his attorneys, Robert and Rolf Whitney, at the defendant’s table. (Tom E. Puskar/USA Today Network/Imagn)
“He said he knew that she was in the bedroom with someone. He wanted cereal, so then he began beating on the door. Finally, the door opened, and it was a stranger, a man he didn’t know. He said he ran back to his bedroom. But the man followed him and sat down on his bed. The guy said something to the effect of, ‘What’s wrong buddy?’ He said he began hitting the guy, attacking him, frustrated by the entire scenario.”
The Ashland County Sheriff’s Office investigated the south side of County Road in 2015, where Rebekah Leicy’s body was discovered. Her death was initially ruled a drug overdose, but police later connected her death to Shawn Grate. (Times-Gazette/USA Today Network/Imagn)
Grate claimed that growing up, he was close with his father, and the two bonded over baseball. However, an injury damaged his pitching arm, and he could no longer play with his father.
“He describes how his relationship with his father, the special thing they had shared, was gone,” said Mager. “He said he felt detached from his father from that moment on. … He spoke a lot about feeling abandoned.”
Mager admitted that Grate presented himself “as being remorseful,” but she still doesn’t know if it was genuine.
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Shawn Grate, who murdered at least five women in three Ohio counties, was convicted in 2018 of killing Stacey Stanley, 43, and Elizabeth Griffith, 29. (Tom E. Puskar-USA Today Network/Imagn)
Mager helped extract Grate’s confessions to five murders, kidnappings and multiple sex assaults across Ohio. He was dubbed “The Ladykiller” by the press due to his looks and charm. He is now on death row for the killings of two of the women in Ashland County. He’s also serving three life sentences.
Mager hopes the victims won’t be forgotten.
“These were daughters, mothers, sisters and friends,” she said. “Stacey Stanley loved cooking and her family. Candice Cunningham was always so happy and giggling. Rebekah Leicy was described by many as a loyal friend. Elizabeth Griffith was always determined to do the right thing and found joy in the little things. Dana Lowrey was a hard worker who also always tried to do the right thing.
Crews work to demolish the Covert Court house, where Shawn Grate murdered two women in August 2016. (Jason J. Molyet/USA Today Network/Imagn)
“None of these women deserved what happened to them.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Ohio State should be exploring its options for potential additions at every position in this year’s transfer portal, but some positions carry more pressing needs than others.
As of Tuesday afternoon, the Buckeyes had added three transfers for the 2026 season: former UCF defensive tackle John Walker, former Ohio tight end Mason Williams and former UCF long snapper Dalton Riggs. Some of Ohio State’s biggest holes remain unfilled, however, and there isn’t any position where the Buckeyes couldn’t benefit from adding some more depth.
Ohio State will remain selective in its transfer additions, given that the Buckeyes signed 28 high school prospects in the 2026 recruiting class. Even after losing 17 scholarship players to the portal, the Buckeyes are currently set to add more players than they’ve lost, though several starters from last season still have NFL draft decisions to make while more players could still enter the portal until Jan. 16.
That said, Ohio State still needs to make numerous transfer additions to build a championship-caliber roster for 2026. There are several positions where Ohio State must add talent due to departures from its 2025 roster, and several others where the Buckeyes shouldn’t be afraid to bring in competition for their projected starters. Even at the couple of positions where Ohio State is likely set in terms of who will lead its depth chart next season, the Buckeyes should still be looking at veteran depth options to offset attrition from players who transferred out or exhausted their eligibility.
Based on who we know Ohio State is losing due to expired eligibility or entering the transfer portal, who Ohio State could lose to the NFL draft and where the Buckeyes need better play than what they had this past season, we assess Ohio State’s remaining portal needs from the most glaring holes to where the Buckeyes should be looking for potential upgrades or depth additions.
Pressing Needs
Kicker
Putting this at the top isn’t merely a reaction to Jayden Fielding’s costly misses in Ohio State’s last two games. With Fielding out of eligibility and Jackson Courville entering the transfer portal, Ohio State doesn’t currently have a single kicker on its roster for 2026. Adding a transfer kicker is non-negotiable, and landing one of the top kickers in the portal should be a priority, though no clear target has emerged for the Buckeyes yet.
Cornerback/Nickel
Ohio State already had reason to add a cornerback or nickelback with Davison Igbinosun and Lorenzo Styles Jr. exhausting their eligibility, but Aaron Scott Jr. and Bryce West entering the transfer portal made it the Buckeyes’ biggest non-specialist position of need. Ohio State is now losing four of its top six corners and nickels from 2025, leaving the depth chart thin and unproven behind Jermaine Mathews Jr. and Devin Sanchez.
With only two other returning cornerbacks (Miles Lockhart and Jordyn Woods) from this past season, plus two incoming freshmen (Jay Timmons and Jordan Thomas), the Buckeyes need to add someone who can start alongside Mathews and Sanchez and ideally another starting-caliber cornerback to bolster their depth behind the starters.
Ohio State has hosted two potential candidates to fill those holes in former Auburn cornerback Kayin Lee and former Maryland cornerback La’Khi Roland, both of whom were starters at their previous schools.
Priority Positions
Defensive End
This will become a pressing need if Kenyatta Jackson Jr. leaves for the NFL draft alongside Caden Curry, who’s out of eligibility. Even if Jackson stays for his fifth-year senior season, adding an immediate contributor at defensive end for 2026 should still be a priority. While Zion Grady looks like a future starter and Beau Atkinson gives the Buckeyes veteran depth, Larry Johnson didn’t trust either of them enough to rotate in regularly in big games this past season – and ideally, Ohio State should have multiple rotational defensive ends to keep the starters fresh.
Ohio State could fill this need if it’s able to beat out LSU and Tennessee for coveted Penn State transfer defensive end Chaz Coleman, the Buckeyes’ top target in the transfer portal. Should the Buckeyes land Coleman and retain Jackson, they’d likely be set at defensive end, barring any further attrition; if they miss out on Coleman or lose Jackson, other potential options could include Florida transfer Jayden Woods and Missouri transfer Damon Wilson.
Wide Receiver
Ohio State never added a scholarship transfer at wide receiver during Brian Hartline’s tenure coaching the position, but it needs to this year.
With Carnell Tate expected to enter the NFL draft and top backups Bryson Rodgers and Mylan Graham entering the transfer portal, Ohio State has minimal experience at the position outside of returning starters Jeremiah Smith and Brandon Inniss. While Quincy Porter is a candidate to play a bigger role in year two and Chris Henry Jr. should contend for playing time right away as a freshman, the Buckeyes are looking for a veteran who can step in and play the Z position opposite Smith, which Tate occupied for the past two seasons.
Ohio State’s top target to fill that need right now appears to be former Texas wide receiver DeAndre Moore Jr., who visited OSU over the weekend in between visits to Kentucky, Louisville and Colorado. Moore caught 77 passes for 988 yards and 11 touchdowns over the past two seasons.
Shouldn’t Be Afraid to Upgrade
Offensive Line
Ohio State could get by without adding any transfer offensive linemen. Even with Tegra Tshabola’s departure, the Buckeyes are set to return seven of their top eight offensive linemen from 2025, barring any surprise draft entries or portal exits. They have plenty of promising young talent to fill out their depth chart behind them and are currently slated to have 16 scholarship offensive linemen in 2026.
But considering the offensive line was Ohio State’s biggest weakness that led to its losses in its final two games of the season, the Buckeyes shouldn’t be content to stand pat with what they have. Offensive line coach Tyler Bowen said after the Cotton Bowl that he had to “look at everything” to figure out how to get the offensive line’s performance up to standard, and that should include adding talent if the right fit emerges in the portal.
Right guard is the most obvious position where Ohio State could add a plug-and-play starter to replace Tshabola, but adding a tackle to compete with Phillip Daniels on the right side or potentially moving Austin Siereveld back inside could also be in play as the Buckeyes look to build their best five for 2026.
Punter
Joe McGuire got better as the 2025 season progressed after a rough start to the year, but Ohio State still ranked just 79th nationally in average yards per punt. At the very least, the Buckeyes should be looking to add competition for McGuire through the transfer portal, especially considering they need another punter anyway following Nick McLarty’s departure for Arizona State.
Linebacker
While Ohio State has a promising pair of up-and-coming linebackers in Payton Pierce and Riley Pettijohn, who could prove to be an excellent starting tandem if they take over for Arvell Reese and Sonny Styles, the Buckeyes don’t have a single linebacker on their 2026 roster – assuming Reese enters the NFL draft as expected – who has started a game at the FBS level. As such, the Buckeyes should be looking for a starting-caliber veteran to add a proven commodity to their linebacker corps next season.
A potential candidate to fill that need could be Wisconsin transfer Christian Alliegro, a two-year starter for the Badgers, who visited Ohio State on Tuesday, according to Lettermen Row. Another possible candidate is former Pittsburgh linebacker and Columbus native Rasheem Biles, who was expected to visit Ohio State this week, though Biles hadn’t made a confirmed trip to campus as of Tuesday.
Defensive Tackle
Defensive tackle was in the pressing need category until Tuesday morning, when Ohio State landed John Walker. That commitment addressed the Buckeyes’ need for a starting-caliber nose tackle to replace Kayden McDonald if he enters the 2026 NFL draft – but that doesn’t necessarily mean Ohio State should be done pursuing transfer DTs yet.
From a numbers standpoint, Ohio State has what it needs now at defensive tackle. But with Tywone Malone Jr. exhausting his eligibility, Ohio State will have only two returning defensive tackles with significant experience (Eddrick Houston and Will Smith Jr.) if McDonald goes pro. The Buckeyes could be content to stick with what they have if they believe Jason Moore or Jarquez Carter is ready to be a consistent factor in the rotation next season, but adding another experienced, starting-caliber defensive tackle would be a smart move.
Safety
Assuming Caleb Downs enters the NFL draft, Ohio State will have to replace the best safety in college football. The Buckeyes have plenty of depth at safety, and a few potential options to pair with Jaylen McClain in the 2026 starting lineup in Malik Hartford, Leroy Roker III and Faheem Delane, but as with linebacker, they’d be relying on an inexperienced group to fill a major role if they don’t add anyone.
The obvious candidate in the portal to replace Downs would be former Minnesota safety Koi Perich, a two-time All-Big Ten honoree (first team in 2024, second team in 2025) in two seasons with the Gophers. Perich would give the Buckeyes a plug-and-play free safety to replace Downs, and Ohio State was the runner-up in his high school recruitment. But Miami, where he’d reunite with former Minnesota defensive coordinator Corey Heatherman, is viewed as the frontrunner to land him.
Duke safety Terry Moore, a second-team All-ACC honoree in 2024 with one remaining season of eligibility who was recruited to Duke by current Ohio State safeties coach Matt Guerrieri, could be another candidate to join the Buckeyes as a potential starting safety for 2026.
Tight End
If Max Klare stays at Ohio State for his fifth-year senior season, the Buckeyes would be set at tight end for 2026 with the addition of Mason Williams. If Klare enters the NFL draft, however, Ohio State would have reason to consider adding a second transfer tight end, particularly one who can be a weapon in the passing game.
Nate Roberts, Williams and Bennett Christian would give Ohio State a solid top trio of tight ends, but the Buckeyes would be relying on a big jump in production from Roberts and/or Williams to replace Klare’s pass-catching at the position.
Depth Wanted
Running Back
Bo Jackson will remain Ohio State’s starting running back in 2026 after topping 1,000 yards in his freshman season, while Isaiah West showed the capability as a freshman to be a quality No. 2 running back. The departures of CJ Donaldson, James Peoples and Sam Dixon, however, leave Ohio State without any other running backs who have played a collegiate snap.
As such, the Buckeyes are in the market for a veteran running back to bolster their depth for 2026. They hosted one potential candidate to fill that role last weekend when Florida seventh-year senior Ja’Kobi Jackson visited Ohio State.
Quarterback
Ohio State has its starting quarterback for 2026 with Julian Sayin returning for at least one more year, and Tavien St. Clair is likely in line to be his top backup. But Ryan Day likes to have four scholarship quarterbacks on his roster, so Ohio State will look to bring in a veteran to provide depth at the position, much like it did with Eli Brickhandler this past season and with Tristan Gebbia, Gunnar Hoak and Chris Chugunov in past years.
One potential candidate to fill that role as Ohio State’s No. 3 or 4 quarterback in 2026 could be former Washington State QB Jaxon Potter, who announced Monday that he had received an offer from the Buckeyes.
The 2026 South Dakota legislative session is still a week away but we’re already seeing dozens of bills being introduced.
The Legislative Research Council’s website shows more than 60 bills already on tap as of Tuesday.
But many more are on the way. In recent years, the Legislature has seen on average around 500 bills per session. Generally, a little under half end up being signed into law.
Some of the early bills include an act allowing for the removal of a county commissioner and another creating a tax exemption for data centers.
Attorney General Marty Jackley is also introducing a host of bills including one allowing law enforcement to seize cryptocurrency that’s part of a criminal investigation.
“Cryptocurrency has become a haven for scammers, drug traffickers, and human traffickers, costing South Dakotans millions in losses and fueling online crime,” said Jackley. “This legislation adds ‘digital currency’ to South Dakota’s seizure laws, giving law enforcement the tools to confiscate illicit crypto assets and disrupt criminal networks hiding behind digital secrecy.”
A full list of bills and resolutions is available on the LRC’s website.
The 2026 session begins Jan. 13.
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