When people talk about the Shannon Graves Youngstown Ohio case, they usually start with the freezer. It is a gruesome detail that sticks in the mind—a padlocked chest moved from one house to another under the guise of saving some frozen meat during a power outage. But if you only focus on the end of the story, you miss the terrifying reality of what led up to that moment in Campbell, Ohio, back in 2017.
Shannon wasn't just a headline. She was a 28-year-old woman, standing barely five feet tall, known for a personality that filled every room she walked into. Her sister, Debbie DePaul, described her as someone who would fly across the country to help a friend in a mental health crisis. Yet, by February 2017, Shannon had disappeared into the shadow of a volatile relationship with Arturo Novoa. For months, her family was told she had simply moved on to a new life in Cleveland or Columbus.
The truth was much darker.
The Disappearance of Shannon Graves in Youngstown Ohio
Shannon went missing in late February 2017. For months, the Mahoning Avenue home she had shared with Arturo Novoa became the site of a chilling masquerade. Arturo didn’t just kill her; he and his new girlfriend, Katrina Layton, essentially tried to erase her existence while stepping into her shoes.
Honestly, the boldness of it is what gets most people. Within weeks of Shannon’s death, Layton had moved into the house. She wasn't just living there—she was driving Shannon’s car, using her phone, and even caring for Shannon’s dog. They even used Shannon’s WIC card to buy groceries. While Shannon's family was desperately calling her phone, Layton was the one on the other end, keeping the lie alive.
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The family grew suspicious because of the dog. Shannon loved that dog. She wouldn't have left it behind, no matter how fast she "moved" to another city.
A Timeline of Deception and Darkness
- February 24, 2017: Arturo Novoa bludgeons Shannon to death in the bathroom of their Youngstown home.
- March 2017: Novoa and Layton take Shannon's body to Layton's garage on Shields Road. There, with the help of Andrew Herrmann, they dismember her.
- The Bonfire: Novoa hosts a bonfire at a friend's house on Sherwood Avenue. They burn Shannon’s clothes, her papers, and even her hair. It was so large the fire department actually showed up to check on it.
- The Acid: Layton buys 12 gallons of sulfuric acid from Walmart under the alias "Chicken Man" (though she had to show her real ID to complete the sale). They use the acid to try and dissolve Shannon’s remains.
- June 22, 2017: After months of silence, Shannon’s sister finally files an official missing person report.
The Discovery in the Freezer
The case finally broke wide open in late July 2017. Novoa had been moving a padlocked freezer around like a piece of cursed luggage. He told a friend in Campbell, Ohio, that his power was out and he didn't want his meat to spoil.
People are curious.
The friend's wife eventually decided to open the freezer to find something for dinner. She wasn't looking for a crime scene; she was looking for ground beef for spaghetti sauce. Instead, she found black garbage bags containing what was left of Shannon Graves.
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The police were called immediately. By then, the remains were so badly damaged by the acid and the passage of time that identification took significant forensic work.
Justice and the Legal Aftermath
The legal proceedings were a marathon of grim revelations. Arturo Novoa eventually pleaded guilty to 47 counts, including murder, abuse of a corpse, and tampering with evidence. He was sentenced to 48 years to life. He’s tried to appeal, claiming he didn’t understand the plea or that his sentences should have been merged, but the courts haven't been particularly sympathetic to those arguments.
Katrina Layton’s path through the court was more complicated. Initially, she had a deal for probation in exchange for testimony. However, she blew that deal by staying in contact with Novoa while he was in jail—participating in 37 phone calls where they reportedly spoke of love and even marriage. The prosecution revoked her deal. In 2020, she was sentenced to 18 years in prison.
Andrew Herrmann, the third person involved in the dismemberment and the destruction of evidence, also faced the gavel. He was sentenced to 12 years for his role in the cover-up.
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Why the Case Still Resonates
This wasn't just a "crime of passion." It was a calculated, months-long effort to dehumanize a victim. The level of "planning and scheming," as Judge Anthony Donofrio put it, "shocked the conscience of the community."
Youngstown has seen its share of tragedy, but the Shannon Graves Youngstown Ohio story sticks because of the intimacy of the betrayal. It wasn't just a murder; it was an identity theft of the most literal and horrific kind.
If you or someone you know is in a volatile or abusive relationship, reaching out for help early is the only way to break the cycle. Organizations like the National Domestic Violence Hotline (800-799-7233) or local Youngstown resources like Compass Family and Community Services provide confidential support. Awareness of the red flags in Shannon's relationship—the volatility, the isolation, and the previous history of violence—serves as a somber reminder of why domestic advocacy is so critical.
Staying informed about local cold cases and missing persons through the Ohio Attorney General’s database can also help keep the memories of victims alive and ensure that justice, however delayed, is always pursued.