Preliminary hearing today for couple accused in freezer case

YOUNGSTOWN — A preliminary hearing is expected shortly in municipal court for two people facing abuse of a corpse charges after the body of a missing woman was found in a freezer police say they had access to.

Katrina Layton, 34, and Arturo Novoa, 31, both of Mahoning Avenue, will have their hearings before Judge Robert Milich, who will decide if there is probable cause that the pair committed a crime. If he does, the case will be bound over to a Mahoning County grand jury.

The pair were arrested after the body of a missing woman, Shannon Elizabeth Graves, was found July 29 in a freezer in the Campbell home of a friend of Novoa's.

There has been no ruling yet on how Graves died.