Suspects accused in dismemberment of Youngstown woman booked into jail
The second and third suspects to be accused with dismembering the body of a missing Youngstown woman were booked into the Mahoning County Jail early Friday.
The second and third suspects to be accused with dismembering the body of a missing Youngstown woman were booked into the Mahoning County Jail early Friday.
Twenty-seven-year-old Andrew Hermann and 27-year-old Michelle Ihlenfeld were arrested by Youngstown Police after they were indicted Thursday by a Mahoning County Grand Jury.
Hermann and Ihlenfeld were charged for the first time in connection to the death of Shannon Graves, whose body was found dismembered, stuffed into trash bags, and left in a freezer in a Campbell basement last year.
A third suspect, Arturo Novoa, aka Anthony Gonzalez, had been arrested and charged back in July of last year. On Thursday the Grand Jury handed up new charges against him.
Along with Hermann and Ihlenfeld, Hermann is accused of operating a criminal enterprise to try to cover up the murder and dismemberment of Graves.
The indictment says Hermann allegedly helped Novoa in the mutilation, destruction and concealment of Graves' body. It also alleges Hermann helped to find a location to burn Graves' belongings and burn them.
The indictment says Ihlenfeld is the wife of Herrmann and allegedly obstructed the investigation into Graves' death.
According to the indictment, Novoa was a former boyfriend of Graves and he was the engineer of the criminal enterprise. Novoa is described in the court document as a drug dealer operating out of a Mahoning Avenue apartment. He allegedly put her body in the trunk of her own car and drove it to a location.
Novoa then allegedly contacted Herrmann to help him get rid of the body.
The indictment alleges the two dismembered her body and put the body parts in garbage bags. They then allegedly put the body parts in a freezer.
According to the court, Novoa allegedly ordered Sulfuric Acid from Walmart using the name "Chicken man." He then allegedly used this acid to get rid of the body. They allegedly put what was left in the freezer.
Sometime in March of last year, the court says Hermann and Novoa allegedly burned Graves' belongings—clothing, shoes, papers— at a bonfire in Youngstown. Documents say the flames were so high that the fire department was called.
Documents say Novoa then allegedly recruited two more people to go to Walmart and pick up a new freezer for the body parts.
The documents add Ihlenfeld allegedly used Facebook messenger to threaten a person who witnessed Graves' property being destroyed
The court says Ihlenfeld, Novoa and Hermann, along with an unnamed person, allegedly tried to hinder the investigation by destroying or concealing evidence.
Novoa is now facing the following 44 charges:
Aggravated murder, one count
Murder, one count
Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, one count
Tampering with evidence, 24 counts
Abuse of a corpse, six counts
Possession of criminal tools, three counts
Theft of WIC program benefits, three counts
Grand theft of a motor vehicle, one count
Drug trafficking, four counts
Hermann is charged with the following 14 counts:
Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, one count
Tampering with evidence, 12 counts
Abuse of a corpse, one count
Ihlenfeld is charged with the following four counts:
Engaging in a pattern of corrupt activity, one count
Intimidation, two counts
Obstruction of justice, one count