CLEVELAND – Cuyahoga County Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley announced that a Cuyahoga County grand jury has returned an indictment charging Dionte Davis, 36, and Dojuan Nettles, 40, for the 2011 homicide of 21-year-old Brandon Cartellone in Tremont.

“This indictment is the result of 14 years of tireless investigative efforts by law enforcement to hold Brandon’s killers accountable. Their persistence proves that no matter how much time passes, we will never stop seeking justice for victims and their families.”

Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley

On July 26, 2011, Dionte Davis and Dojuan Nettles went to Brandon Cartellone’s apartment near Professor Street and West 10th Street in Tremont to buy marijuana. Once they were inside Brandon’s apartment, they tied Brandon up with belts and duct tape, assaulted him, robbed 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, and the Ohio Attorney General’s Bureau of Criminal Investigation — determined Davis and Nettles were at the scene on July 26, 2011. Further advanced DNA testing and continued investigation linked Davis and Nettles to the crimes.

Dojuan Nettles was arrested on July 9, 2025, in Florida. Dionte Davis was arrested on July 11, 2025, in Los Angeles, California.

On July 16, 2025, Dionte Davis and Dojuan Nettles were indicted on the following charges:

  • Four counts of Aggravated Murder
  • One count of Murder
  • One count of Aggravated Burglary
  • One count of Aggravated Robbery
  • Two counts of Kidnapping
  • One count of Felonious Assault

They will be arraigned at the Cuyahoga County Justice Center at a later date.