'Horrific': Lawmakers Demand New Legislation After Body Parts Found

LONG ISLAND, NY — Lawmakers, outraged after four people charged in the grisly discovery of body parts on Long Island were released right back onto the streets without bail, are demanding change.

New York State Senators Anthony Palumbo and Patricia Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, along with New York State Assemblyman Mike Durso and members of the Senate and Assembly Republican Conferences announced the introduction of legislation in response to the "horrific case" in Babylon after body parts were discovered in a recreational park and several other locations, including a local neighborhood, the lawmakers said.

Those charged in the case were released under New York’s "notoriously flawed bail laws" after being charged with the concealment of a human corpse by the Suffolk County District Attorney’s office as part of their ongoing investigation, and ordered to remain in Suffolk County with GPS ankle monitors, Palumbo said.

The newly proposed bills would make the crime of body dismemberment/concealment of a human corpse a bail eligible class E felony; and would strengthen the use of electronic location monitoring, the lawmakers said.

The gloves were off Thursday as Gov. Kathy Hochul and Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney exchanged heated accusations over the shocking body parts' discovery in Long Island parks that has left a community reeling — and lawmakers crying out for reform after four charged in the case were released back onto the streets without bail.

The four were placed on supervised release, will have GPS monitoring, and will have to report to probation in person, in addition to surrendering their passports, officials said.

Hochol, speaking with Rosanna Scotto, on FOX 5NY, asked Hochul about Tierney's statement. On Wednesday, when the four were released, Tierney said that, 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."

Hochul responded to the question of bail reform: "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. 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."

Tierney fired back Thursday: "Governor Hochul is either completely clueless or being deceitful about how the criminal justice system works," he said. "Prosecutors have a duty to bring only charges that are supported by evidence. Anything else would be unethical. The Suffolk County Police homicide detectives are the best in the country, and they are working 24/7 on this case. For the governor to criticize the efforts of these detectives without knowing any of the facts in defense of a broken bail system is both baffling and indefensible. When law enforcement had enough evidence to arrest these defendants for serious felonies, they did the right thing and made those arrests. Did the governor want the police to leave them out despite having evidence that they cut up and disposed of two bodies?"

He added: "The governor’s platform on public safety is laughably inadequate and she should know enough not to comment on ongoing investigations. It would be helpful if the governor confined her comments to subjects that she knows something about."

Four people were arrested in connection with the shocking discovery of human remains in Babylon, West Islip and Bethpage last week, police said.

Suffolk County Police homicide squad detectives arrested and charged Steven Brown, 44, Jeffrey Mackey, 38, and Amanda Wallace, 40, all of 25 Railroad Ave., in Amityville, and Alexis Nieves, 33, who is without a known residence, with first-degree hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and concealment of a human corpse, police said.

And now lawmakers are trying to fix what they deem a broken system.

"I don’t think anyone would argue that a world where people charged with the crime of body dismemberment can walk back out onto the streets is a good place, yet here in New York, that is the world in which we are living thanks to Democrat’s failed criminal justice policies. Measured in changes to the law, and proposed revisions, let alone the societal impact due to a skyrocketing increase in crime, bail reform has to be regarded as one of the worst bills ever passed in New York State history. Having to introduce new legislation to hold people charged with the crime of body dismemberment/concealment of a human corpse merely reminds us of the severe shortcomings of the law and the priorities of the legislators who wrote it.," said Palumbo, ranking member of the Senate judiciary and codes committees and a former Suffolk County prosecutor.

“We must address the glaring gaps in our bail laws that allow individuals suspected of heinous crimes to walk free without appropriate safeguards. While New York’s bail reforms still need a comprehensive overhaul, this horrific case in Babylon underscores yet another glaring loophole in the law that needs to be corrected immediately. Members of the community should not have to fear that those credibly suspected of such depraved acts may be released back into the community with no way to monitor them," said Canzoneri-Fitzpatrick, 9th Senate District.

"To have to explain to members of the Babylon community, my constituents, that those suspected of chopping up a human being can be arrested and just walk free is horrifying," said Assemblyman Mike Durso, 9th Assembly District.

"How many more horrifying examples of criminal activity do we need to see before we start fixing what’s broken?” Assemblyman John McGowan said. "As a former prosecutor, I can’t imagine the level of frustration within the Suffolk County DA’s Office after making major arrests and watching the suspects walk directly out of bail reform’s revolving door."