Police confirmed the identity of a victim whose dismembered remains were found in various parks and wooded areas on Long Island in recent weeks, while the family of the other victim said the grisly killings have a family connection.
"He was our baby brother. He was not perfect but nobody deserves murder," said Coreen Bullock, who spoke alongside her other brother, Charles Williams, on Monday.
They said their brother Malcolm Brown was the man whose arms were discovered in the Suffolk County woods.
Bullock said her family has been hurting since they found out about their loved one's death. It’s been a couple of years since she had seen her brother Malcolm, but now the family is trying to figure out what happened, saying they are "just looking for answers."
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Neither prosecutors nor police have officially identified Malcolm Brown as a victim, as it is still pending confirmation from the medical examiner's office, Suffolk County police said.
Adding to the family's pain, they said that one of the suspects accused in the grisly crimes, 44-year-old Steven Brown, is their cousin. They faced him in court on Monday, shouting the simple question "How could you" at him as he entered court.
"Our parents and his mom, my aunt, they’re home, they’re suffering. They’re hurting and he has nothing to say," said Williams. "He has nothing to say. He’s got to do something, he’s got to tell it, good or bad."
"Nobody deserves murder. And his cousin has something to do with it," said Williams.
Authorities have identified one of the two victims as 59-year-old Donna Conneely, whose last known address is in Yonkers. No other details about Conneely were immediately available.
Brown and co-defendant Amanda Wallace, 40, ran from reporters after their brief court appearance. Brown's lawyer could not confirm his connection to either victim.
"There’s nothing I can add at this time. The case was adjourned for a week and I will talk to the DA, hopefully get some evidence. That would be nice," said attorney Ira Weissman. He previously said his client "did not kill anyone and did not take part in any of this."
The victims' remains, including Conneely's head and arm and the man's arms, were discovered on separate days, Feb. 29 and March 5, after students walking to school spotted an arm off the road by Southards Pond Park in Babylon. The investigation expanded to West Babylon and Bethpage State Park, where more remains linked to the same people were found.
Four people have been arrested in the case, though none have been charged with murder at this time. They all lived in the same house on Railroad Avenue. The other two suspects, Jeffrey Mackey nor Alexis Nieves, appeared in court last week.
None have been held behind bars because concealing a human corpse is currently not a bail-eligible offense, which has prompted widespread condemnation.
Neither Mackey nor Nieves spoke to reporters Friday after their brief court appearance. Both remain free without bail, each wearing GPS monitors and ordered to remain in Suffolk County for now, after being charged with hindering prosecution, tampering with physical evidence and concealment of a human corpse.
A lawyer said Mackey and Nieves are in a relationship. Mackey’s lawyer said the case is set to go before a county grand jury, which could add more serious charges.
Court documents allege that the four suspects removed "sharp instruments, multiple body parts and other related items from the house" in an effort to conceal a murder. An assistant district attorney alleged the quartet went to barbaric lengths to cover up the killing, with police removing meat cleavers and butcher knives from the home.
