Two of the four suspects in a case that shocked and angered Long Islanders earlier this year were indicted on Monday for murder. In February and early March body parts were found in a number of locations, including Southards Pond Park in Babylon, a wooded area in West Babylon, and in Bethpage State Park. The victims, Malcolm Brown and Donna Conneely, were said to have been killed in Amityville while the suspects gruesomely carved up their bodies to be distributed in an attempt to hide the crime.
Now, two of the suspects, Jeffrey Mackey and Alexis Nieves, have been charged with their deaths. According to reports they pleaded not guilty.
According to investigators, on February 27, 2024, Brown and Conneely, who were acquaintances of the defendants, 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 defendants then allegedly dismembered the victims’ bodies in the bathroom of the home, and then dumped the remains in various spots. When Suffolk County police went to the suspects home, they 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.
Two other suspects, Steven Brown, and Amanda Wallace, have been charged with helping the alleged murderers cover up the crime. They have not been charged with murder. Wallace is in jail awaiting trial after being picked up for shoplifting after becoming a suspect in the case. Brown, who is a cousin of one of the victims, is still out on cashless bail.
At first, the four suspects were released without bail due to reform laws in New York State because their initial charges did not warrant bail under the law. This angered the public and the Suffolk County DA.
“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,” Suffolk County DA Ray Tierney said in a statement back in March.
Governor Kathy Hochul shot back with a statement while talking to news reporters.
“Maybe the DA should have done a more thorough investigation and brought murder charges or conspiracy to commit murder, or even assault charges — because all of them are bail eligible,” the Governor said. “Okay, maybe they brought it a little early. I encourage the DA’s office to go back and build your case, because if you bring any of those charges, which I think would be appropriate, that’s absolutely bail eligible. Those people would not be out on the street.”
Now, Mackey is being held without bail and Nieves is being held on $ million cash or $10 million bond. They are both due back in court on June 3rd. Brown and Wallace are both due in court on Tuesday, April 30th.
