An Amityville couple, Jeffrey Mackey, 40, and Alexis Nieves, 35, have admitted their involvement in the murders and dismemberment of two housemates, Malcom Craig Brown, 53, and Donna Conneely, 59. The case shocked Long Island last year after teenagers discovered a human body part near Babylon park, prompting authorities to uncover additional remains scattered across multiple locations.

Jeffrey Mackey pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and will be sentenced to 22 years in state prison. His plea was influenced by the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA), a 2019 law permitting reduced sentences for domestic violence survivors whose abuse played a role in their offenses. A sealed 28-page forensic psychiatric evaluation confirmed that Mackey suffered abuse at the hands of Malcom Brown, with Donna Conneely also contributing to the abuse. Consequently, Mackey will serve a reduced sentence of 11 years for each killing.

Mackey admitted to stabbing Malcom Craig Brown in the neck inside their shared Railroad Avenue home on February 27, 2024, shortly after noon. He then attacked Brown’s wife, Donna Conneely, while Nieves assisted by striking Conneely with a meat tenderizer as Mackey choked her, resulting in her death. Alexis Nieves will serve 11 years for manslaughter under a separate plea agreement, having waived her DVSJA claim.

The remains of Brown and Conneely were discovered over the course of a week between late February and early March 2024, scattered across Southards Pond Park in Babylon, wooded areas in West Babylon, and Bethpage State Park. The first discovery was made by high school students, who found Brown’s severed arms while walking to class.

Two other housemates, Steven Brown, 46 (Malcom Brown’s cousin), and Amanda Wallace, 42, pleaded guilty last September to felony charges related to the disposal of the remains and a knifepoint robbery a week prior to the murders. The four admitted that the dismemberment and scattering of body parts was intended to obstruct law enforcement investigations. Steven Brown will serve 5 years for first-degree robbery, having admitted to being a critical participant in the cover-up.

This chilling case underscores the intersection of domestic violence, premeditated homicide, and the lengths individuals will go to conceal their crimes, sending shockwaves through the Babylon community and beyond.