News

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, September 24, 2025

Defendant in Zanesville Stabbing Admits Guilt in Aggravated Murder

(ZANESVILLE, OH)

September 24, 2025, Enon Grable, 37, of Zanesville, OH, appeared in the Muskingum County Court of Common Pleas before Judge Gerald Anderson to admit guilt to the charge of Aggravated Murder, an unclassified felony.

During the hearing Grable requested to waive his pre-sentence investigation and proceed directly to sentencing.

Judge Anderson allowed the request and ordered Enon Grable to serve the rest of his life in prison. Grable cannot apply to be released from prison to the Ohio Parole Board until he has served at least 25 years.

If Grable is ever released from prison he will also be required to register as a violent offender annually, for ten years.



Victim Details:

“This case is not about the murderer. It is about his victim, Michael Loomis,” according to Assistant Prosecutor John Litle, who handled the case.

Mr. Loomis overcame difficulties in his life and died protecting another person from his attacker’s murderous rage. The facts in this case showed that Loomis knew Grable was a threat to Grable’s ex-girlfriend. When the murderer charged towards her, Loomis helped her escape over a fence, after which he was left alone to face off against the killer.

Unfortunately, the hero in that situation did not survive the attack.



Details of the Case:

On July 20th, 2025, the Zanesville Police Department was dispatched to a Harrison Street residence in Zanesville, Ohio. After arriving on scene, officers came upon Michael Loomis lying on the ground, bleeding profusely from a stab wound on his chest near his heart. Loomis was then transported to Genesis where he soon after died from the injury.

Investigations into the murder soon led detectives to Grable’s ex-girlfriend. Shortly after Loomis was found stabbed, Grable began messaging his ex-girlfriend. On one recorded phone call Grable states “I love you, I love you, I love you so much I would kill for you.”

Another message that Grable sent stated that if she “doesn’t call him, she will have two dead boyfriends”

Soon after, detectives began to uncover a series of jealousy ridden events that led to the murder of Michael Loomis. Detectives learned that Grable and his ex-girlfriend were homeless in Zanesville. Statements from witnesses showed that Grable had been threatening and going around the city attempting to find his ex-girlfriend for days prior to his deadly encounter with Mr. Loomis.

On July 20, 2025, Grable’s ex-girlfriend reported to police that Enon Grable was again following her. Officers were not able to locate Grable at the time.

Later in the day, Enon Grable was riding a red bicycle in an alleyway between Moxahala and Putnam, near the Trulight Ministries property where homeless people routinely gather. Grable spotted his ex-girlfriend and Loomis, and turned immediately, coming after his ex-girlfriend. Some of the situation was captured by nearby surveillance footage.

Enon Grable then started chasing her, coming towards where Michael Loomis was standing. Loomis instructed her to jump the fence to escape. Grable approached, took out a knife and stabbed Michael Loomis in the chest. The entire interaction occurred in less than thirty seconds.

With the assistance of his ex-girlfriend, Detectives were able to get a better idea of Grable’s location, and evidence as to his motive.

On July 21, 2025, detectives found Enon Grable hiding in a basement. Grable was placed under arrest and in his possession was the bloody knife. He has remained in custody since.



“It is always very difficult to meet with the family members of someone whose life has been taken in such a tragic situation,” according to APA Litle. “It is clear that Michael Loomis was deeply loved by his family, and he died attempting to protect another person from this murderer’s rage.”

“It is gratifying to deliver a conviction on the most serious offense, involving the premeditated murder of an innocent man. There is no reason to expect he will ever be released from prison.”

Loomis’s family members were present in court to hear Grable admit guilt and face sentencing. Loomis's mother expressed grief, for herself and for Mr. Loomis’s children, and expressed the lifelong effects that the loss of Mr. Loomis will have on the family.



“While our office cannot give the victim’s family what they truly want, their loved one back, we were able to deliver swift justice,” stated Muskingum County Prosecutor Ron Welch. “Due to the excellent work by the Zanesville Police Department and Assistant Prosecutor John Litle, the time from this crime being committed to the defendant being sentenced was only 65 days. Resolving cases so efficiently decreases the amount of stress and trauma for victims and witnesses and removes threats from our community more quickly.”

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