Amityville man pleads guilty to conspiring in the deaths of two in Babylon body parts case

An Amityville man admitted Tuesday to conspiring in the deaths of his cousin and cousin's wife before helping to dismember their bodies and scatter the remains around Babylon Town in February.

Steven Brown, 45, pleaded guilty to six felony charges, including conspiracy, two counts of concealment of a human corpse and hindering a prosecution in connection with the deaths of cousin Malcolm Craig Brown and Donna Conneely of Yonkers.

Prosecutors have charged Steven Brown's Railroad Avenue housemates Jeffrey Mackey, 38, and Alexis Nieves, 33, with second-degree murder in the Feb. 27 deaths inside the home.

While under oath Thursday, Brown did not say who committed the killings, but admitted participating in a plan with Mackey and Nieves with the intent of killing the couple and to conceal their deaths. Brown's girlfriend, Amanda Wallace, pleaded guilty in the same case Tuesday, implicating Mackey and Nieves in the actual killings.

Speaking outside of the courtroom, Brown's defense attorney, Ira Weissman of Central Islip, declined to discuss why the slayings took place. He said his client admits "he did some things in the furtherance of the deaths." 

"He regrets his involvement in this and ... the effect this had on the public and the families involved. He's happy to admit his guilt and move forward."

Mackey, who recently retained attorneys Anthony La Pinta and Mark Cohen to represent him, has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and charges related to the dismemberment and disposal of the remains. He is expected to go to trial early next year, state Supreme Court Justice John Collins said during an appearance Wednesday.

Nieves, who also pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder and other charges, did not appear in court this week with her case adjourned until October. All four of the defendants remain incarcerated without bail.

Brown and Wallace both admitted the dismemberment and disposal of the remains was an effort to prevent law enforcement from investigating the deaths, which occurred one week after they both say they assisted Mackey in a knifepoint robbery of an attendant at a Valero gas station in Copiague. As part of the plea agreement, Brown admitted being a "lookout" for Mackey and will serve an agreed-upon 5 years behind bars for first-degree robbery. His sentence on the other charges would run concurrent to the robbery sentence, Suffolk Assistant District Attorney Frank Schroeder told the court.

Mackey is accused of stabbing Malcom Craig Brown multiple times in the neck and torso before turning to Brown's wife, Conneely, and stabbing her repeatedly in the neck and back, Schroeder has previously said. Nieves, Mackey's girlfriend, then allegedly smashed Conneely multiple times in the head with a meat tenderizer and stabbed her as Mackey strangled her, according to Schroeder.

Prosecutors have said Mackey and Nieves each face life in prison.

The remains of Brown and Conneely were discovered over the course of a week in late February and early March scattered in Southards Pond Park in Babylon, wooded areas in West Babylon and at Bethpage State Park, police have said. The first discovery was made by a group of high school students walking to class when they happened upon what turned out to be the severed arms of Brown.

The four housemates were arrested within days and indicted by a grand jury in April.

By Grant Parpan

grant.parpan@newsday.com@GrantParpan

Grant Parpan covers Suffolk County courts and federal courts for Newsday. A Long Island native, he joined Newsday in 2022.