BABYLON, NY — Court was adjourned on Thursday for Steven Brown, a Long Island man involved in the double murder that left the victims dismembered and scattered in multiple outdoor locations in Suffolk County last February.
Brown, 45, was slated to be sentenced by Judge John B. Collins in Riverhead after pleading guilty in September to two charges of concealment of a corpse, hindering prosecution, conspiracy, robbery, and tampering with physical evidence in connection to the murder and dismemberment of his cousin, Malcolm Craig Brown, and his partner, Donna Conneely, at his Amityville home in February, the DA said.
His sentencing will now take place on Jan. 2, court officials confirmed with Patch.
In April, roommates Jeffrey Mackey, Alexis Nieves, Brown, and Amanda Wallace were indicted 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.
Wallace also pleaded guilty in September to concealment of a corpse and hindering prosecution in connection to the murder after helping the trio dispose of the body parts, according to court documents.
In September, Judge Collins said he's hoping Mackey and Nieves' trial can begin early next year, in a report by News12.
The outlet also reported that Wallace said in court that her roommates killed Conneely after Mackey stabbed and killed Brown and that Wallace admitted to helping her housemates clean up the scene and dispose of the body parts.
According to the investigation, on Feb. 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 before they arrived 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 a heated debate on bail reform between Tierney and Gov. Kathy Hochul, with many other lawmakers speaking out.
Source: https://patch.com/new-york/babylonvillage/sentencing-delayed-man-involved-li-meat-cleaver-murders-da
