In a new case that has shaken Long Island, human remains were found
across Babylon Township and Bethpage State Park. The victims, who have
not been identified, are presumed to be a 53-year-old man and a 59-yearold
woman.
The first remains were found last Thursday, February 29, by high school
students walking to school. They discovered the man’s arm on the side of
Siegel Boulevard near Southards Pond Park in North Babylon. Both arms
were found in the east side of the park, while the woman’s head, left leg,
right leg, and right arm were found on the west side of the park just hours
later. The woman’s remains were near Babylon Elementary School.
More remains were found Tuesday in the woods near Lakeway Drive in
West Babylon, three miles from Southards Pond Park. More remains were
then discovered in Bethpage State Park.
Police then identified suspects living in a shared home in Amityville,
where “sharp instruments, multiple body parts, and other related items”
were found. Police say that the suspects “dispose[d] of them to conceal the
crime of murder in the second degree.”
Four people have been charged with concealing a human corpse and
tampering with evidence. Steven Brown, 44, Amanda Wallace, 40, Jeffrey
Mackey, 38, and Alexis Nieves, 33, were charged with first-degree hindering
prosecution, tampering with physical evidence by concealing or destroying,
and concealment of a human corpse.
All have pleaded not guilty.
Brown, Wallace, and Mackey all live in Amityville, while Nieves is said to be
homeless. The relationship between the suspects have not been explained,
nor have a connection to victims or a motive for possible murder been
established.
Suffolk homicide detectives allege that the suspects “did conceal, alter,
and destroy human body parts” and that the “dismembered body parts
were removed” from the home and “concealed at multiple known locations.”
Suffolk County District Court, Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroder of
the Homicide Bureau said that police have obtained damning evidence against
the four, including the human remains, meat cleavers, butcher knives, large
amounts of blood, as well as video surveillance.
The four defendants have been released without bail. They have been
ordered to surrender their passports, not leave Suffolk County, and report to
probation weekly. All have been issued GPS monitoring devices.
The defendants’ attorneys have assumed their clients’ innocence, with Brown’s
attorney, Ira Weissman, saying that his client “certainly didn’t kill anybody.”
The conversation now turns to the long-controversial topic of bail reform in
New York State. Pursuant to a set of criminal justice overhauls championed by
then-Governor Andrew Cuomo (D), and upheld by the Democrat-dominated
state legislature and Governor Kathy Hochul (D), certain offenses are no longer
considered bail eligible.
All four suspects have been granted supervised release, instead of detention
or a requirement to post bond.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney (R) railed against the laws in
response to this particular case.
“It is our understanding that the Suffolk County Police Department is
still investigating these murders,” said Tierney. “Unfortunately, due to ‘Bail
Reform’ passed by the New York State Legislature in 2019, charges relating to
the mutilation and disposal of murdered corpses are no longer bail-eligible,
meaning my prosecutors cannot ask for bail. This is yet another absurd result
thanks to ‘Bail Reform’ and a system where the Legislature in Albany substitutes
their judgment for the judgment of our judges and the litigants in court. We will
work with the Suffolk County Police Department to resolve this investigation as
soon as possible and implore our Legislature to make common sense fixes to
this law.”
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine (R-Center Moriches) also weighed
in on the “The failure of Albany’s Bail Laws has resulted in those charged
with dismembering and placing body parts in our communities to walk free
without posting any bail,” said Romaine. “This is outrageous, and completely
unacceptable in a civilized society, when our prosecutors are handcuffed and
those charged with this heinous crime are mandated by the state to go free.
Despite the incredible work by the Suffolk County Police Department and our
District Attorney Ray Tierney the failed 2019 NYS Bail Laws continue to put the
public at risk. These laws must be changed immediately, and I will support the
law enforcement community in any efforts to force change in Albany to make
Suffolk County a safer place to live.”
The laws continue to earn criticism from law enforcement and the general
public, especially as high-profile cases such as these are affected by the reforms.
While the suspects are on supervised release, they cannot return to the
Amityville residence on Railroad Avenue off of Route 110, as police removed
and destroyed some of the plumbing in the investigation.
