MANSFIELD — A downtown Mansfield building that once housed a serial killer is now a gathering place for art, music, and dance.
Mansfield City Councilman Aurelio Diaz bought the La Luna building in the fall of 2016. Weeks after the purchase, police contacted him, stating they wanted to search the property. That's when Diaz learned that Shawn Grate, a serial killer now on death row, had previously lived on the top floor, operated a wood shop in the back, and murdered one of his victims inside the building.
"One of his victims was murdered downstairs in the area we now call the community space," Diaz said.
While in prison, Grate confessed to killing Mansfield native Rebekah Lacey. Her body was found in March 2015, but her death was initially thought to be from a drug overdose. Shawn Grate told police that he strangled Leicy because she had stolen money from his place of employment.
Grate was arrested just weeks before Diaz bought the building. He has been convicted of killing five women across North Central Ohio.
"I was kind of disturbed by it," Diaz said.
Diaz considered selling the building, but after speaking with his family, he decided to make it his own. He named it La Luna, after his grandfather.
"The image in the middle is my grandfather, Antonio Via Luna. We share the same middle name, Luna. It means the moon," he said.
Over the last 10 years, Diaz worked with event manager Kathy Goodwin to create a cultural experience for the community.
"This is a place you can come in and don’t have to worry about being a certain caliber or having a juried show. You can come in, you can state your claim, and you can use your own creativity," Goodwin said.
La Luna now hosts concerts, art shows, and dance classes for everyone, including those with disabilities.
"People don't give artists and the creative community enough credit, but if you tie it in with advocacy of local change and national change, I feel like we’re doing all that here, “Diaz said.
When I visited, a Wednesday class was hosted by Best in Two Scoops, a local line-dancing group. The group's founder, Cherie Crawford, said giving back is at the heart of what they do.
"Our goal is to give back to the community, do something for free, allow them to work out a little bit and have a good time,” Crawford said.
The group was preparing for the Mansfield Juneteenth Parade.
For Diaz, the work at La Luna is about more than a building; it's about people. He is working to turn a building's dark past into a bright purpose for people of all walks of life.
"I think the secret of it is friendship, all of us from all walks of life coming together and making it happen, bright like the moon," Diaz said.
