A group accused of participating in a Long Island murder case were seen smiling and laughing as they left court, with bail laws preventing them from being behind bars.
Steven Brown, 44, Jeffrey Mackey, 38, Amanda Wallace, 40, and Alexis Nieves, 33, were arrested Tuesday and charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence by concealing or destroying it, and hide a human corpse. .
Mackey and Nieves were seen leaving Suffolk County Criminal Court freely on Friday with wide smiles on their faces.
Despite being arrested for the possible murder of a man and woman in Amityville, the couple appeared to be in good spirits, with Nieves holding a bouquet of purple flowers.
The suspects have been released from police custody without bail despite the ongoing investigation due to the “Bail Reform” law of 2019.
Suspects Jeffrey Mackey, 38, and Alexis Nieves, 33, were seen freely leaving Suffolk County Criminal Court on Friday with big smiles on their faces.
Despite being arrested for the possible murder of a man and woman in Amityville, the couple appeared to be in good spirits, with Nieves holding a bouquet of purple flowers.
The suspects were arrested Tuesday after a girl came across a heavily tattooed human arm in Babylon Park on her way to school the previous week.
The suspects have been released from police custody without bail despite the ongoing investigation due to the ‘Bail Reform’ law of 2019 (pictured: Mackey and Nieves)
Conditions were imposed on the defendants’ release, including GPS monitoring, according to Tania Lopez of Suffolk County.
The murder charges the suspects face came after a girl stumbled upon a heavily tattooed human arm in Babylon Park on her way to school the previous week.
Following the first gruesome discovery, police discovered more body parts, including two severed heads, in the same park along with nearby Bethpage State Park and West Babylon Forest.
Police believe the bodies of two victims, an unnamed 53-year-old man and a 59-year-old woman from Yonkers, were cut up with butcher knives.
Although the deceased have not been publicly identified, there are different tattoos on their body parts.
The name ‘Sandra’ or ‘Sandy’ appears to be written in ink on the hand of the amputated arm.
The four suspects have been charged with first-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence by concealing or destroying it, and concealing a human corpse.
Suffolk County Prosecutor Raymond Tierney said the decision to release the suspects with ankle tags was “absurd” and blamed the bail reform law for their release.
Mackey and Nieves are seen here as they arrive at Suffolk County Criminal Court for their hearing on March 8, 2024.
Suffolk County Prosecutor Raymond Tierney said the decision to release the suspects with ankle tags was “absurd” and blamed the 2019 “bail reform” law for the sentencing.
“It is our understanding that the Suffolk County Police Department is still investigating these murders,” he said in a statement following his release without bail.
‘Unfortunately, due to “Bail Reform” passed by the New York State Legislature in 2019, charges related to the mutilation and disposal of murdered bodies are no longer eligible for bail, meaning my Prosecutors cannot request it.
‘This is another absurd result thanks to “Bail Reform” and a system in which the Albany Legislature substitutes its judgment for that of our judges and litigants in court.
“We will 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.”
In response, New York Governor Kathy Hochul wrote that she “changed bail laws to ensure that criminals can be held on bail, including anyone charged with murder, rape or other violent crimes.”
Tierney responded to Hochul, accusing her of being “completely clueless or misleading about how the criminal justice system works” for implying that police are to blame for the release.
“Prosecutors have a duty to bring only charges that are supported by evidence,” the district attorney’s second statement says.
Not many details have been released about the motive for the murder and the victims remain anonymous as the investigation continues.
Law enforcement sources told NBC New York that the brutal murders may have been related to a love triangle, but no further details have been shared.
It is unclear whether detectives believe any of the defendants are directly involved in the victims’ murder.
Alexis Nieves, 33, leaves court in Suffolk County, Long Island, on Wednesday
Amanda Wallace, 40, and Steven Brown, 44, leave court Wednesday
Jeffrey Mackey, 38, was one of two men charged. His motive and involvement in the gruesome murder are unknown.
Along with the gruesome array of body parts, “sharpened instruments and other related items” were discovered at his home on Railroad Avenue in Amityville, according to the charge sheet.
The house was described as “uninhabitable” in court on Wednesday, as prosecutors claimed the four had broken pipes while trying to hide the bodies by throwing away body parts, according to the NYPost.
Mackey, Brown and Wallace lived at the home, while Nieves is listed in court documents as homeless.