Podcast Summary: The Hand in the Window

Episode 6: Piece by Piece

Podcast: The Hand in the Window (ABC News)
Date: December 9, 2025
Host: John Quiñones

Episode Overview

This episode concludes the six-part series on the Sean Grate case, focusing on the aftermath of his arrest and the emotionally charged process of uncovering the full extent of his crimes. It details the dogged work of Detective Kim Major, the revelations tying Grate to additional victims, the impact on the rural Ohio community, the tense trial, and ultimate sentencing. The episode captures the grief, anger, and ongoing trauma left in Grate’s wake, as well as the slow, painful journey toward justice.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

The Lingering Impact on Detective Kim Major and Her Family

• The episode opens with Detective Kim Major attempting to reclaim a night of normalcy with her family after grueling days interrogating Sean Grate.
• Major’s son, Corbin, a police academy hopeful, helps connect dots between a cold overdose case and Grate’s references to a “fort” in the woods, leading to a breakthrough in the Lacey case.
  [02:52] Detective Kim Major: “Sean Grate keeps talking about this fort he built. And my son said, where is it?...By the time we’re done, my son said, 'Mom, he did it.'”

Unveiling Another Victim: Rebecca Lacey

• With prompting from her son, Major questions Grate about Rebecca Lacey—a local woman previously thought to have died of an overdose.

• Grate nonchalantly confesses to Lacey’s murder during an interview.
  [07:17] Sean Grate: “Rebecca Lacey.”
  [07:28] Detective Kim Major: “We have another victim.”

• Grate describes meeting Lacey, assaulting her after accusing her of theft, and disposing of her body.
  [08:18] Detective Kim Major: “He said he had kneed her and punched her and that her face was bleeding. He said she fought him like a man, and he said he had strangled her... and taking her body out and dumping her in my county.”

Grate’s Mindset and Confessions

• Grate volunteers that Lacey was “number two” on his personal list of victims, confirming a broader pattern of violence.
• Detective Major repeatedly checks if Grate is hiding other crimes, seeking closure for the community.
  [09:47] Sean Grate: “This onion’s peeled all the way. I feel better now. I’m free.”
• Grate later requests more interviews with Major, leading to increased tension after a jailhouse rumor surfaces that Grate had considered killing her.
• In their final conversation, Major directly questions Grate’s ongoing desire to kill.
  [12:47] Sean Grate: “About that desire? … [13:00] Yeah, it’s probably worse.”

The Trial: Seeking Justice

• Grate is indicted on multiple charges, with the trial beginning in April 2018. Prosecutors seek the death penalty.
  [18:54] John Quiñones: “This is not a whodunit case. This is a he did it.”
• Despite confessions, the defense pleads not guilty.
• The prosecution calls 50+ witnesses; Jane Doe’s emotional testimony about surviving Grate’s attacks is a pivotal moment.
  [19:58] Bob Jones (Reporter): "The moment when Jane Doe testified was a pivotal moment in the trial... She said she tried multiple times to get away... sexually assaulted in every imaginable way..."
• Grate exhibits little reaction during testimony.

Plea Change & Sentencing

• Mid-trial, Grate changes his plea to guilty on multiple non-murder charges to spare the jury from viewing assault footage, but remains not guilty on murder charges.
  [21:35] John Quiñones: “Grate had requested to change his plea from not guilty to guilty for 15 of the 23 counts against him...”

• The jury quickly finds Grate guilty on all charges; the death penalty remains in question.

• Sentencing sees harrowing victim impact statements:
  [26:17] Curtis Stanley (Victim’s Son): “I had to go in there and pick a casket out. And he made it to where I couldn’t even have an open casket to say goodbye to her.” [26:42] Gina Stanley (Victim’s Sister): “This monster will pay for what he has done and I’m confident it will be with his life.”

• The judge sentences Grate to two death penalties (for the murders of Stacey Stanley and Elizabeth Griffith) and 90 additional years for related crimes.

• Family and community members erupt into applause upon hearing the death sentence.
  [28:11] Bob Jones: “The reaction from the courtroom was something I had never quite seen... The family erupted and clapped. And I’ve never seen that.”

Aftermath, Appeals, and Community Healing

• Additional counties charge Grate for other murders, leading to two life sentences without parole.
• Grate’s execution date is postponed due to appeals and a state moratorium on executions.
• Victims’ families express that only Grate’s execution will bring closure.
  [30:26] Gina Stanley: “I feel like justice is him not breathing anymore... That’s the only way I’m going to feel complete justice for my sister.”
  [30:46] Jessica Anderson: “I know he already has a death penalty, but him... actually being carried out, I would love to see it carried out.”

Demolition of the House on Covert Court

• The infamous “house of horrors” is torn down 11 days after the sentencing.
• Community views the demolition as symbolic closure, but Detective Major feels the pain lingers. [33:26] Detective Kim Major: “I stood there feeling almost like my community were so innocent... to actually think that tearing down that home is going to take this away. Because it doesn’t.” [33:55] Kim Major: “It’s leveled, it’s flat... But the weight of the situation is still here.”

Reflection and Legacy

• Major publishes a book, “A Hunger to Kill,” and retires from the force—but remains determined that the case is not forgotten. [34:37] Detective Kim Major: “I don’t want to forget this case. I don’t want anyone to forget it...I want more people to know.”
• Major urges the community, and listeners, to learn from the tragedy—to recognize the vulnerability of all potential victims and to strive for better protection and justice. [35:01] Detective Kim Major: “If people can’t realize that these women could have been anyone, this could have been me. If we can’t learn from that, then what is our purpose?”

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• [03:56] Corbin Major (Detective Kim Major’s Son): “Mom, he did it.”
• [07:19] Sean Grate (Confessing to murder): “Rebecca Lacey.”
• [09:48] Sean Grate: “This onion’s peeled all the way. I feel better now. I’m free.”
• [12:47] Sean Grate: “About that desire? … [13:00] Yeah, it’s probably worse.”
• [18:54] John Quinones: “This is not a whodunit case. This is a he did it.”
• [19:58] Bob Jones: “The moment when Jane Doe testified was a pivotal moment in the trial...”
• [26:17] Curtis Stanley: “I had to go in there and pick a casket out. And he made it to where I couldn’t even have an open casket to say goodbye to her.”
• [26:42] Gina Stanley: “This monster will pay for what he has done and I’m confident it will be with his life.”
• [28:35] Bob Jones: “The family erupted and clapped. And I’ve never seen that.”
• [33:26] Detective Kim Major: “I stood there feeling almost like my community were so innocent...to actually think that tearing down that home is going to take this away. Because it doesn’t.”
• [34:37] Detective Kim Major: “I don’t want to forget this case. I don’t want anyone to forget it...I want more people to know.”
• [35:01] Detective Kim Major: “If people can’t realize that these women could have been anyone, this could have been me. If we can’t learn from that, then what is our purpose?”

Important Segment Timestamps

• [00:31-04:21] – Detective Kim Major and her son discuss connections between Grate’s “fort” and unsolved deaths.
• [05:07-07:53] – Identification of Rebecca Lacey and Grate’s confession to her murder.
• [09:39-13:10] – Grate’s confessions, discussion about the “hunger to kill,” and psychological profile.
• [17:56-23:21] – Grate’s indictment, trial, plea changes, and the verdict.
• [24:25-28:48] – Sentencing, family impact statements, and community reaction.
• [31:05-33:44] – Demolition of the house and ongoing trauma in Ashland.
• [34:11-35:35] – Kim Major’s reflections on memory, justice, and learning.

Tone and Atmosphere

True to its 20/20 roots, the episode maintains a measured, empathetic, and investigative tone. The voices of victims, families, and law enforcement are treated respectfully, and their pain is given space without sensationalism. The reporting is thorough, balancing factual detail with personal emotion.

Conclusion

“Piece by Piece” is a powerful concluding chapter to The Hand in the Window, tying together the emotional and factual aftermath of Sean Grate’s crimes. The careful reconstruction of investigative threads, courtroom drama, and personal testimonies paint a picture of a community shattered but striving toward healing—a reminder of both the horror of violence and the tenacity of justice and memory.