Inside a Cuyahoga County courtroom this week, a bench trial is grinding through the gritty details of the killing of 23-year-old Michelle Arnold, as prosecutors lay out their case against defendant Joseph Byron Littlejohn.
Littlejohn has pleaded not guilty and has been in custody since January 2024 on related matters. Prosecutors were expected to wrap up their witnesses today, while the judge hears a steady stream of testimony and legal arguments.
According to the Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office, investigators discovered Arnold’s remains on June 3, 2024, in the backyard of a vacant property near Strathmore and Hayden avenues in East Cleveland after an anonymous tip. Court filings state the discovery followed execution of a search warrant and months of investigative work that pulled together DNA, phone records, and witness interviews to connect a suspect to the scene…