Judge denies man's request to move up murder trial

YOUNGSTOWN — A man accused of killing his girlfriend and stuffing her in a freezer had his request to move up his trial denied by Judge Anthony Donofrio today.

The Mahoning County Common Pleas Court judge told Arturo Novoa, 32, that because of the massive amount of discovery required to be pored over and schedules of the attorneys that the June 3 trial date that is set is the soonest the case can be tried.

Novoa faces charges of aggravated murder and exchanging in a pattern of corrupt activity for the death of Shannon Elizabeth Graves, who was found in a freezer in Campbell in July 2017.

Two other people are also charged with Novoa and a woman has also pleaded guilty for her role in the case.