NEW YORK (TCN) — An 87-year-old man has been convicted of murder in the 2022 death of a woman whose dismembered remains were found inside and outside her home.
The Brooklyn District Attorney announced that on May 7, Harvey Marcelin was convicted of first-degree murder, evidence tampering, and concealment of a human corpse. He will face a maximum sentence of life behind bars without the possibility of parole.
Surveillance footage showed Susan Leyden, 68, enter Marcelin’s apartment building on Feb. 27, 2022. Marcelin was shown on surveillance wheeling a shopping cart containing a large plastic bag, and some of Leyden’s remains were found in the bag the next day, March 3, 2022.
According to the DA, a search of Marcelin’s apartment uncovered Leyden’s head, arms, and a leg, as well as cleaning supplies, a saw box, and a hammer. On March 7, 2022, one of Leyden’s legs was found in a trash can near the apartment. Investigators later saw video footage of Marcelin buying an electric saw at a Home Depot around the date that Leyden disappeared.
Marcelin and Leyden reportedly lived at the same shelter for a time in 2019, but according to DA, the exact nature of their relationship is not clear. The New York Post reports that at his trial, jurors were reportedly told that Marcelin was obsessed with Leyden and made several Facebook accounts that used her image as a profile picture.
People reports that Marcelin had previously spent 50 total years in prison for killing two women. In 1963, he fatally shot Jacqueline Bonds, his girlfriend, and was paroled in 1984. The following year, he was arrested after his then-girlfriend, Ana-Laura Sierra, was stabbed and found dead inside a garbage bag. He pleaded guilty to manslaughter and was sent to prison; he was paroled in 2019.
According to District Attorney David Gonzalez, “This conviction holds the defendant accountable for the cruel and reprehensible murder of Susan Leyden. Following the senseless murder, the defendant desecrated the victim’s remains in a manner that truly shocks the conscience. I hope Ms. Leyden’s family finds a measure of solace in this guilty verdict, which ensures this defendant will never walk free again.”
According to the DA, Marcelin is scheduled to be sentenced on June 10.
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