BROOKLYN, N.Y. — An 87-year-old parolee has been convicted of murdering a Brooklyn woman, dismembering her body and scattering her remains near his East New York apartment in a case prosecutors described as “truly shocking.”
A Brooklyn jury found Harvey Marcelin guilty Thursday of first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and concealment of a human corpse in the killing of 68-year-old Susan Leyden, according to Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez.
Prosecutors said Leyden’s torso and leg were discovered inside plastic bags on Brooklyn streets in March 2022, while additional body parts were recovered from Marcelin’s apartment on Pennsylvania Avenue.
The conviction followed about one hour of jury deliberations after trial in Brooklyn Supreme Court before Justice Danny Chun.
Surveillance Video Captured Victim Entering Apartment
According to trial evidence, surveillance footage showed Leyden entering Marcelin’s East New York apartment on Feb. 27, 2022. Prosecutors said she was never seen leaving alive.
Additional surveillance footage later captured Marcelin rolling a wheeled shopping bag carrying a black plastic bag on March 2.
Hours later, Leyden’s torso was discovered inside the bag during the early morning of March 3, prosecutors said.
Investigators subsequently searched Marcelin’s apartment and recovered the victim’s head and limbs along with blood evidence, cleaning supplies, a hammer and packaging for an electric saw.
Police later recovered one of Leyden’s legs near a garbage can roughly three blocks from the apartment on March 7.
Authorities also introduced surveillance footage showing Marcelin purchasing a saw and cleaning supplies at a Manhattan Home Depot around the time Leyden disappeared.
Key Points
• Harvey Marcelin, 87, was convicted of murdering and dismembering a Brooklyn woman
• Prosecutors said the victim’s torso and limbs were found near Marcelin’s East New York apartment
• Surveillance video showed the victim entering the apartment and never leaving alive
Medical Examiner Found Severe Head Trauma
The New York City Medical Examiner determined Leyden died from blunt force trauma to the head along with other physical injuries, according to prosecutors.
Leyden lived in Clinton Hill, while investigators later learned she and Marcelin had previously stayed at the same Bronx shelter in 2019.
Authorities said the exact nature of their relationship remained unclear during the investigation and trial.
Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said the verdict ensures Marcelin “will never walk free again.”
“Following the senseless murder, the defendant desecrated the victim’s remains in a manner that truly shocks the conscience,” Gonzalez said in a statement.
Prior Murder Conviction Elevated Charges
Marcelin’s prior criminal history played a critical role in the prosecution.
The district attorney’s office said Marcelin had previously been convicted of first-degree murder in Manhattan on Oct. 16, 1963. That prior conviction formed the legal basis for the first-degree murder charge in the current case.
Under New York law, certain repeat violent felony convictions can elevate homicide charges and sentencing exposure.
Marcelin now faces a maximum sentence of life in prison without parole when he is sentenced June 10.
The investigation was conducted by detectives from the NYPD Brooklyn North Homicide Squad and the 75th Precinct Detective Squad.