Human head found in home of suspect arrested in connection with shopping cart torso, police say
EAST NEW YORK, Brooklyn (WABC) -- Police arrested a person of interest in the death of a woman whose torso was found inside a shopping cart in Brooklyn last week, and detectives executing a search warrant at the suspect's home made the gruesome discovery of a human head.
They also found an electric saw in the suspect's East New York apartment.
Harvey Marcelin, 83, who has served prison time twice for killing two different girlfriends, has since been charged with second-degree murder and the concealment of a human corpse.
Marcelin was arrested March 4, the day after the torso was discovered, and has been held without bail since at Rikers Island.
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The limbless torso was found at Pennsylvania and Atlantic avenues in a multi-colored bag in an abandoned shopping cart on March 3.
Then, on March 7 what is believed to be the same woman's leg was found in some trash on nearby Jamaica Avenue.
Police believe the victim is a 68-year-old woman seen on surveillance video entering Marcelin's apartment near the crime scenes on February 27.
Marcelin, who is transgender and identifies as a woman, was seen leaving the apartment three days later with a bag believed to contain her torso.
Marcelin has spent more than 50 years behind bars and was released from the state prison in August of 2019 and is on lifetime parole.
On April 18, 1963, Marcelin fatally shot a girlfriend in Manhattan and was later convicted of murder, released on lifetime parole in May of 1984.
Then, on November 2, 1985, Marcelin fatally stabbed another girlfriend, also in Manhattan.
Her body was found in a bag near Central Park, and Marcelin was convicted of manslaughter and later released on lifetime parole in August 2019.
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The first officer at the scene of that 1985 murder was Robert Boyce, who went on to become the NYPD's Chief of Detectives and is now an ABC News contributor.
"He dismembers the body and puts it out on the street not far from where he lives," Boyce said. "I don't care how old he is, if it was compassionate release because of his age. He's still dangerous."
Police are investigating if there could be any more potential victims since her release.
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