Knives, Meat Cleavers Used To Kill 2 In Grisly LI Body Parts Case: DA

BABYLON, NY — Four people were indicted for their roles in the deaths and dismemberment of Malcolm Brown, 53, and Donna Conneely, 59, after their body parts were found scattered on Long Island, Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said Monday — with two reportedly stabbing and beating the couple with a meat tenderizer, according to reports.

Jeffrey Mackey, 36, Alexis Nieves, 33, Steven Brown, 44, and Amanda Wallace, 40, were charged for their various roles in the killings after being arrested in March in connection with the grisly discovery of human remains in Babylon, West Islip and Bethpage, police said.

According to facts uncovered in the investigation, on February 27, Brown and Coneely, who were acquaintances of the four charged, were "violently stabbed" after they entered a home located at 25 Railroad Avenue in Amityville. Brown was stabbed once in the neck and once in the torso, while Conneely was stabbed multiple times in the neck and back, the DA said.

The investigation revealed that Mackey, Nieves, and Brown had reportedly planned to kill Brown and Conneely prior to them arriving at the Amityville home, Tierney said.

The four then reportedly dismembered the victims’ bodies in the bathroom of the home, and then dumped the remains in Southards Pond Park, Bethpage State Park, and a wooded area in West Babylon, Tierney said.

A Newsday report said that Mackey stabbed the couple while Nieves beat one with a meat tenderizer.

A high school student on her way to school discovered a dismembered male arm in the brush at Southards Pond Park in Babylon Village on Feb. 29 and reported the finding to police, the DA said. Law enforcement recovered another male arm a short distance from the first, as well as a female head and torso, a female arm, and parts of female legs on the opposite side of the park, the DA said.

Police then located the Amityville residence where Mackey, Nieves, Brown and Wallace had reportedly been staying, the DA said. Suffolk County police recovered several cutting instruments, including a large folding knife, a large kitchen knife, and two meat cleavers; blood was found in multiple locations throughout the residence, Tierney said.

On March 4, Mackey, Nieves, Brown and Wallace were arrested on multiple charges including hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a
human corpse, the DA said. After their arraignments, all four were released from jail without bail
because the charges they faced at that time were considered non-bail eligible under New York
State law, meaning prosecutors could not ask for, and judges could not set bail, the DA said.

That decision sparked heated debate on bail reform between Tierney and Gov. Kathy Hochul, with many other lawmakers speaking out.

On March 15, Wallace was arrested for petty larceny after stealing beauty products from a CVS in Lindenhurst; Acting Suffolk County Court Judge James A. McDonaugh ordered Wallace to be held in jail on bail, Tierney said. That case is pending in Suffolk County First District Court.

Mackey was indicted Monday on charges including two counts of second-degree murder, Class A-I felonies; one count of second-degree conspiracy, a Class B felony; one count first-degree robbery, a Class B violent felony; one count of first-degree hindering prosecution, a Class D felony; one count of tampering with physical evidence, a Class E felony; and one count of concealment of a human corpse, a Class E felony, the DA said.

Nieves was indicted on charges including one count of second-degree murder; one count of second-degree conspiracy; one count of first-degree hindering prosecution; one count of tampering with physical evidence; and one count of concealment of a human corpse, the DA said.

Brown was charged with one count of second-degree conspiracy; one count of first-degree robbery; one count of first-degree hindering prosecution; one count of tampering with physical evidence; and one count of concealment of a human corpse, the DA said. He is being represented by Ira Weissman.

Wallace was indicted on charges including one count of first-degree robbery; one count of first-degree hindering prosecution; one count of tampering with physical evidence; and one count of concealment of a human corpse, the DA said. She is being represented by attorney Keith O’Halloran.

Judge John Collins ordered Mackey to remain in custody and for Nieves to held on $1 million cash, $10 million bond or $10 million partially secured bond, the DA said.

Both are due back in court June 3. Brown and Wallace are due back in court August 30.

Mackey and Nieves both pled not guilty at their arraignments before Supreme Court Justice John B. Collins at the Arthur M. Cromarty courthouse in Riverhead on Monday.

Mackey's attorney, John Halvorsen, confirmed the not guilt plea with Patch.

"We entered a plea of not guilty. My client maintains his innocence and we look forward to moving forward with the case," he said.

Nieves' attorney, Christopher Gioe, was not immediately available for comment.

"I would like to thank the hard-working men and women of the Suffolk County Police Department
and my prosecutors for their tireless work in bringing this investigation to the point where we are
able to charge the responsible individuals with murder and seek bail,” Tierney said. “Those in law enforcement must do their jobs without fear or favor. Ethically, charges can and should only be brought when the facts and evidence are clear. I thank the team for ignoring the distractions and doing just that."

Additional reporting by Lisa Finn