Release of 4 suspects in Long Island body parts case inspires new bail law

The supervised release of four Long Islanders arrested Tuesday in connection with two dismembered corpses found in Suffolk County parks has inspired new bail reform legislation.

New York State Sen. Anthony Palumbo (R,C-New Suffolk) and Assemblyman Michael Durso (R,C-Massapequa Park) proposed a bill Friday to make dismembering or concealing a human corpse a bail-eligible class E felony.

“Nobody with an ounce of sensibility would say it’s a good idea to let someone charged with the sickening act of human dismemberment leave jail and roam the streets,” Palumbo said. “Yet here in New York, that’s exactly the situation that the irresponsible Democrats who ostensibly lead this state have put us in due to their radical, nonsensical policies of putting criminals first.”

“Democrats’ bail policies have already been amended three times because they were such an ill-conceived disaster, and here we are again,” the former Suffolk County Prosecutor continued. “Every Democratic legislator who voted for bail reform should hang their head in shame at the notion that we have to scramble to introduce legislation to keep people in jail who are charged with a crime as horrific as body dismemberment. It is a real-life nightmare.”

The Republican lawmakers’ proposal came in response to what they call the state’s “notoriously flawed bail laws,” which was the subject of a war of words Thursday between Democratic Gov. Kathy Hochul, conservative Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney and Suffolk County Police Benevolent Association Vice President Louis Civello.

After learning Tierney had been critical of 2019 legislation that prohibited law enforcement from detaining the suspects after finding evidence linking them to multiple multiple body parts found in three locations within a 5-mile radius, the governor blamed the DA’s office for filing charges that aren’t bail-eligible.

“Maybe the DA should have done a more thorough investigation and brought murder charges or conspiracy-to-commit murder, or even assault charges,” the governor told FOX 5’s “Good Day New York.”

“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,” she added. “Those people would not be out on the street.”

In response, Tierney released a statement accusing Hochul of being “either completely clueless or being deceitful about how the criminal justice system works,” arguing the charges filed were dictated by the evidence so far discovered.

Civello also took exception to Hochul’s characterization of the situation, saying, “Instead of using this opportunity to fix New York’s reckless bail reform law, the governor decided to attack law enforcement.”

Steven Brown, 44, Jeffrey Mackey, 38, Amanda Wallace, 40, and Alexis Nieves, 33, are accused of hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and concealing a human corpse. They have not been charged with killing the victims, but it’s unclear if additional charges will follow.

The identities of the victims, a 53-year-old man and 59-year-old woman, have not been made public.

Suffolk County Police said Friday afternoon there was nothing new to report in the investigation. The district attorney’s office has not responded to a request for comment regarding the case or Friday’s legislation proposed by Palumbo or Durso.