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Trial in freezer case will remain in June
By Joe Gorman
YOUNGSTOWN
Judge Anthony Donofrio denied a request by a man accused of killing his girlfriend and stuffing her in a freezer to move up his trial.
The judge told Arturo Novoa, 32, in Mahoning County Common Pleas Court on Friday that because of the massive amount of discovery required to be examined and schedules of the attorneys that the June 3 trial date is the soonest the case can be tried.
Novoa faces charges of aggravated murder and engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity in 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 also has pleaded guilty for her role in the case.
Judge Donofrio said he has received several letters from Novoa since he took office the first of the year asking for the case to be expedited.
He said he understands Novoa wants the case to be tried, but he also told him to stop sending letters.
“You speak to the court through your lawyer,” Judge Donofrio told him.
Judge Donofrio said he huddled with defense attorney Ross Smith and prosecutors from the state attorney general’s office who are trying the case to see if an alternative date could be found, but none could be.
“It doesn’t seem like we have a choice,” Judge Donofrio said.
Prosecutors have amassed so much evidence, including social media posts, that they needed a 30-gigabyte flash drive to transfer it all.
Judge Donofrio said it would take a substantial amount of time for Smith and his co-counsel Jennifer Ciccone to plow through that evidence in order to mount an effective defense for Novoa.