Multiple Suffolk County politicians and its District Attorney expressed outrage today when the four suspects arrested in connection with a series of grisly body part discoveries in Babylon and Bethpage State Park were allowed to walk free with supervised releases instead of being forced to post bail due to New York State bail reform laws passed in 2019.
On Thursday, February 29, when a student was walking to school and discovered a severed left arm on the west side of Seagal Boulevard at the eastern end of Southards Pond Park, between Park Avenue and Mason Avenue, at approximately 8:40 a.m. The student called her father who then responded to the scene and called 911. A subsequent Suffolk County Police Department search of the area revealed multiple mutilated body parts, including arms, legs, and a severed head.
Police later served a search warrant at an Amityville residence on Tuesday, March 5, where as many as four arrests were made in connection with the incident. In addition, a SCPD search of Bethpage State Park later that same day with the assistance of New York State Police officers revealed additional body parts, reports say.
However, due to a loophole in the controversial bail reform law passed in Albany in 2019 involving the disposal of corpses, the suspects have been granted supervised release as opposed to having to post cash or bond. This development lead to a fiery response from outraged Suffolk County officials, among them Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney.
“It is our understanding that the Suffolk County Police Department is still investigating these murders,” Tierney said in a statement. “Unfortunately, due to ‘Bail Reform’ passed by the New York State Legislature in 2019, charges relating to the mutilation and disposal of murdered corpses are no longer bail-eligible, meaning my prosecutors cannot ask for bail. This is yet another absurd result thanks to ‘Bail Reform’ and a system where the Legislature in Albany substitutes their judgment for the judgment of our judges and the litigants in court. We will work with the Suffolk County Police Department to resolve this investigation as soon as possible and implore our Legislature to make common sense fixes to this law.”
Suffolk County Executive Ed Romaine also expressed anger that the suspects in the horrific case were allowed to walk bail-free.
“The failure of Albany’s Bail Laws has resulted in those charged with dismembering and placing body parts in our communities to walk free without posting any bail,” Romaine said in a statement. “This is outrageous, and completely unacceptable in a civilized society, when our prosecutors are handcuffed and those charged with this heinous crime are mandated by the state to go free.”
“Despite the incredible work by the Suffolk County Police Department and our District Attorney Ray Tierney the failed 2019 NYS Bail Laws continue to put the public at risk,” Romaine continued. “These laws must be changed immediately, and I will support the law enforcement community in any efforts to force change in Albany to make Suffolk County a safer place to live.”
