ASHLAND -- Opening statements have started in the trial of accused killer Shawn Grate.
The jury was seated Monday morning.
Grate, 41, is charged with 23 counts, including aggravated murder. If convicted of that charge, he could face the death penalty.
WKYC reporter Amani Abraham is present in the courtroom for the opening statements:
The main charges involve the deaths of Elizabeth Griffith, 29, and Stacey Stanley, 43, and the kidnapping of a woman prosecutors are calling Jane Doe. According to a previous news release, Doe was kidnapped and raped multiple times but escaped after calling 911 on Sept. 13, 2016.
After Doe's rescue and Grate's arrest, police found the bodies of Griffith and Stanley at a house at 363 Covert Court, near downtown Ashland. According to the preliminary autopsy, both women had been strangled.
Disturbing details were revealed as the prosecution team spent almost two hours delivering their opening statement. Prosecutor Chris Tunnell painted Grate as a man who knew what he was planning when he came face-to-face with three of his victims.
"The defendant subsequently, over the course of multiple interviews, confessed to every element of every charge," said Tunnel. " He demonstrated on video how he killed his victims."
Tunnell revealed that Grate had videotaped raping two of his victims and those would be shown to the jury during the trial.
The 911 call made by Jane Doe was played to the jury to open witness testimony. Photos of Grate's home and a 360 view of the rooms inside were displayed to the jury.
The Mansfield News Journal contributed to this report.