Three individuals involved in the brutal murder and dismemberment of a couple on Long Island have been handed surprisingly lenient prison sentences, a decision influenced by claims of abuse from the victims.
Shockingly Lenient Terms for Grisly Crimes
On Tuesday, Jeffrey Mackey, 40, Alexis Nieves, 35, and Steven Brown were sentenced for their roles in the February 2024 killings of Malcom Brown and his wife Donna Conneely in Amityville. The victims were stabbed to death before their bodies were dismembered with a meat cleaver and scattered across parks in Suffolk County.
Despite the horrific nature of the crime, the sentences were notably light. Jeffrey Mackey received 22 years for two counts of second-degree murder. His partner, Alexis Nieves, was given just 11 years for a single misdemeanour count. The victims' cousin, Steven Brown, was sentenced to five years for conspiracy. All three had pleaded guilty in April 2024.
Plea Deal Invokes Domestic Violence Law
The reduced sentences for Mackey and Nieves followed a November plea deal, which cited reported abuse by the victims. The case fell under the New York Domestic Survivors Justice Act. This law permits judges to alter sentencing where domestic violence was a significant factor in the offence.
Mackey's attorney told the court that the couple had been "physically, emotionally and financially" abusive towards the defendants. "Those facts are what brought up and motivated these crimes," he argued. During the hearing, Mackey expressed regret, stating, "I really wish none of this had ever happened. I apologise to family members, for I wish this had never occurred."
A Brutal Crime Scene and County-Wide Investigation
The grim sequence of events began on 27 February 2024, when the victims were violently attacked upon entering their home. According to officials, Nieves struck Conneely with a meat tenderiser and kicked her, while Mackey stabbed Malcom Brown multiple times before turning the knife on Conneely.
Steven Brown and his partner, Amanda Wallace, then assisted in dismembering the bodies and disposing of the parts. Wallace, arrested in 2024, pleaded guilty to concealment of a human corpse and was sentenced to one and a half to two years in prison last November.
The investigation was triggered two days later when a student discovered Malcom Brown's severed arm at Southards Pond Park in Babylon. This led police to find:
- Additional body parts in Bethpage State Park.
- Remains in wooded areas of West Babylon.
- A blood-spattered crime scene with a folding knife, a large kitchen knife, and two meat cleavers.
While Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney said prosecutors were "satisfied with the sentencing given our limitations under the law," the victims' family condemned the outcome as a "slap on the wrist." The case has been previously linked to a complex and tortured living situation between the two couples.
