4 people arrested after body parts found on Long Island given supervised release
WEST BABYLON, Suffolk County (WABC) -- The four people arrested in connection with human remains found scattered across Long Island are out on supervised release.
Steven Brown, 44, Jeffrey Mackey, 38, and Amanda Wallace, 40, all of Amityville, along with Alexis Nieves, 33, who is homeless, were all charged Wednesday with first-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a human corpse.
They have not been charged with the killing of the two victims, which means they are free to go until their next court appearances or until they face more charges while authorities gather more evidence.
The four defendants were arrested after police executed a search warrant at the Amityville home that Wallace, Mackey and Brown share.
A prosecutor described the evidence at the house -- including cutting tools like a meat cleaver and traces of human remains, but did not say who killed or dismembered the two victims or why.
The charges come after more body parts were discovered on Tuesday, including in Bethpage State Park.
There have now been human remains discovered in three different locations across Suffolk County -- and police say they belong to the same 53-year-old man and 59-year-old woman.
Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney released a statement blaming the state's bail reform laws for the suspects' release.
"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."
He vowed to 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."
All four suspects are getting monitoring bracelets and have been ordered to stay in Suffolk County. They all made court appearances and had to surrender any passports as a condition of their supervised release.
The suspects are free to go but can't go back to their Amityville apartment due to inoperable plumbing. Some of the plumbing was removed during the police investigation.
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine also released a statement, outraged that the suspects were not being held.
"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," Romaine said. "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.
He called for the laws to be changed immediately and said he will support any efforts to force change in Albany.
Lawyers for the suspects said they look forward to hearing from witnesses and seeing evidence.
Mackey's defense attorney, John Halvorson, said, "We are entering a plea of not guilty. We have not received any discovery at this point. We maintain our innocence."
Brown's attorney, Ira Weissman, said, "Steven Brown didn't kill anybody."
"You hear him talk about blood in a house, but you don't hear about witnesses, so that's all I gather about today's proceeding," Weissman said.
The two victims may have lived together in Yonkers and their deaths might stem from a domestic dispute.
Police have not publicly identified the victims and their relationship to the suspects is still a mystery.
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