Arturo Novoa and Katrina Layton are accused of hiding the body of Novoa’s missing girlfriend, Shannon Graves, in a freezer while the new girlfriend assumed her life.
The grisly crime came to light after a friend of Novoa’s found the body in a freezer that Novoa allegedly gave him, according to Fox 8.
The Youngstown, Ohio pair have not been charged with Graves’ murder, but they are accused of using her credit cards and even taking care of her dog, the television station reported. They face abuse of a corpse charges. Authorities have now officially identified the body as that of Graves, a missing woman who dated Novoa.
Here’s what you need to know:
1. A Friend Found the Woman’s Body in a Freezer After Opening It to Make Spaghetti & Meatballs
FacebookShannon Graves.
A wife of a friend of Novoa made the grisly discovery.
The body was “discovered on Saturday (July 30) in several bags inside the freezer by Novoa’s landlord’s wife,” reported The New York Post.
According to The Post, “Novoa had asked his landlord if he could move the freezer down to the landlord’s basement because his electricity had been shut off and ‘he didn’t want his freezer full of meat to spoil,'” but she became suspicious when she noticed a padlock on the freezer and opened it.
Ken Easenbaugh’s wife found the body. He told WFMJ-TV that his wife “planned to make spaghetti and meatballs. She thought she would borrow some hamburger from the freezer, and simply replace it later.” She got a “bad feeling” when she saw a large garbage bag inside the freezer, Easenbaugh told the television station, and he then opened the freezer and sliced open the bag to discover a frozen human foot.
2. Layton Is Accused of Assuming Graves’ Life
Ohio Attorney General’s OfficeShannon Graves
Youngstown City Prosecutor Dana Lantz told WKBN-TV that authorities allege “Layton moved in, drove Graves’ car, used her cell phone, and cared for her dog.”
“Basically, assumed her life and her belongings,” the prosecutor told the television station.
Layton moved in with Novoa in June, according to The New York Post, which added that the woman allegedly “began using the telephone of Novoa’s missing former girlfriend, driving her car and caring for her dog.”
“Basically, Miss Layton moved in with Mr. Novoa and started living her life,” the prosecutor also said, according to The Post.
3. Graves Disappeared Over the Winter
Youngstown Police DepartmentShannon Graves
Graves disappeared months before her body was found. Her name wasn’t added to the State of Ohio missing person’s list until June. The entry for Graves is pretty sparse. It contains her photo, basic biographical information (such as her age, 28), and says, “Shannon was last seen in Youngstown, Ohio on 12/25/2016.”
Novoa allegedly told Graves’ family and friends that she had left him for another man but they grew concerned when missed Easter and her sister’s birthday, according to WFMJ-TV.
4. Novoa Has a Criminal History
Youngstown Police DepartmentShannon Graves
Novoa is a felon with a checkered past.
According to WFMJ, he “has spent time in the state penitentiary, then was convicted for having a gun when not allowed, due to his prior felony conviction.”
The Vindicator reported that Novoa was charged in 2006 “with aggravated arson and obstructing official business after throwing a flaming object onto the porch of a home on Cooper Street, where Novoa lived. In 2010, 24 at the time, Novoa was indicted by a Mahoning County grand jury on charges of illegal gun possession, and in 2015 was issued a summons for drug abuse of marijuana, according to records.”
5. Novoa Worked in the Kitchen of a Local Restaurant & Went By a Different Name
Ohio man, Arturo Novoa, ‘hid his girlfriend’s body in a freezer while living with another… t.co/uB6hDcE4Bt
According to the Vindicator, Novoa was employed “in the kitchen of a Boardman restaurant.”
The landlord told WFMJ-TV that Novoa indicated an interest in recording rap music and introduced himself by the name of Anthony Gonzales.