Woman charged in Long Island dismemberment case is arrested again – for stealing from CVS
One of the four suspects released without bail despite being accused of scattering body parts across Long Island was arrested again – for allegedly stealing beauty products from a CVS drugstore.
Amanda Wallace, 40, of Amityville, was on supervised release with an ankle monitor when she was taken into custody on Friday for the theft at a Lindenhurst, New York CVS.
Ms Wallace, who was charged with petit larceny, admitted to stealing, according to documents filed at Suffolk District Court.
“I did – eyelashes and nail polish,” she told an officer. “I forgot my money and really didn’t feel like walking back over.”
Ms Wallace was in Suffolk District Court in Central Islip on Monday for a scheduled appearance in the Long Island body parts case.
Prosecutor Dena Rizopoulos asked that she be held on $10,000 cash bail on the petit larceny charge, for which Ms Wallace’s attorney, Keith O’Halloran, entered a plea of not guilty.
“She did it while wearing a GPS monitor, your honor,” the prosecutor pointed out.
Ms Wallace was ordered by Judge James McDonaugh to be held without bail on the body parts case for not complying with the conditions of her earlier release and set bail for the petit larceny charge in the amounts of $5,000 cash bail, $10,000 surety bond, or a $50,000 partially secured bond, according to Newsday.
“At the bare minimum, you should be able to go nine days without being rearrested,” the judge told her in court on Monday.
Four people, including Ms Wallace, were arrested earlier this month, accused of dumping dismembered body parts at multiple parks in Suffolk County.
Another defendant in the body parts case, Steven Brown, 44, of Amityville, also made a brief appearance in court on Monday. He was ordered to comply with the conditions of his release, including GPS monitoring. He was released following the hearing and is set to return to court on 1 April.
Jeffrey Mackey, 38, of Amityville, and Alexis Nieves, 33, who police say is homeless, will be in court on 19 March. They were also ordered to wear ankle monitors.
All four pleaded not guilty to felony counts of first-degree hindering prosecution, concealment of a human corpse, and tampering with physical evidence by concealing or destroying.
They were all freed without bail in the body parts case, a decision that sparked a heated battle between New York governer Kathy Hochul and Suffolk district attorney Ray Tierney, as the DA blamed the 2019 bail reform for preventing prosecutors from being able to ask for bail on certain charges.
Mutilation and disposal of murdered corpses are among the crimes that are no longer bail eligible, according to the 2019 bail reform laws.
Police in Suffolk County identified the female victim as 59-year-old Donna Conneely and family members identified the male victim as 53-year-old Malcolm Craig Brown.
The two shared a last known address in Yonkers, north of New York City, more than 30 miles from where their remains were discovered strewn across multiple locations of Suffolk County between 29 February and 5 March.
The grisly discoveries are the latest shocking example of human remains being dumped in parks, woods and other open spaces on Long Island. Over the years, they’ve included the bodies of MS-13 gang violence victims and the infamous Gilgo Beach serial killings.