CLEVELAND – The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office announced that Dojuan Nettles, 41, was found guilty of murder and kidnapping for the 15-year-old cold-case homicide of 21-year-old Brandon Cartellone in Tremont.

“After 15 long years, we are grateful to finally provide Brandon Cartellone’s family with answers and a measure of justice.

I commend the law enforcement agencies whose commitment to seeking justice made this conviction possible.”

– Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

On July 26, 2011, Dojuan Nettles went to Brandon Cartellone’s apartment near Professor Street and West 10th Street in Tremont. Once he was inside Brandon’s apartment, he tied Brandon up with belts and duct tape, assaulted him, and then fled the scene. Early that next morning, around 1:30 a.m., Brandon’s girlfriend discovered him and called the police. The Cleveland Division of Police (CDP) and Cleveland EMS responded to the scene where Brandon was pronounced deceased.

The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office ruled Brandon’s death a homicide resulting from asphyxia by manual strangulation.

Further investigation conducted by the Cleveland Homicide Initiative — including members of the CDP, Cleveland FBI, Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office’s Regional Forensic Science Laboratory, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation — determined Nettles was at the scene on July 26, 2011. Further advanced DNA testing and continued investigation linked Nettles to the crimes. Dojuan Nettles was arrested on July 9, 2025, in Florida.

On October 16, 2026, Dojuan Nettles was found guilty by a jury on the following charges:

  • One count of Murder
  • One count of Kidnapping

He will be sentenced on November 4 at 1:30 p.m.

Dionte Davis was acquitted on all charges.