New york man pleads guilty to dismembering woman and scattering her remains in three locations

PATCHOGUE, N.Y. — Gary Cowell, 72, of Patchogue, pleaded guilty to dismembering the body of Yvette Leonard and discarding her remains in multiple locations after her death, Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond A. Tierney announced Thursday.

Cowell admitted to charges of Unlawful Concealment of a Human Corpse and Tampering with Physical Evidence, both Class E felonies. He faces a maximum sentence of 1 1/3 to 4 years in prison when he is sentenced.

“This defendant’s actions following Ms. Leonard’s death denied the victim of the dignity and respect that she deserved,” said District Attorney Tierney. “We hope that this plea allows Ms. Leonard’s family some measure of closure after enduring immense pain.”

According to prosecutors, Leonard, 56, was reported missing on June 18, 2024, after last being seen on June 13. Detectives identified Cowell as the last person to see Leonard alive. During the investigation, Cowell confessed that Leonard had died from a drug overdose while the two were using drugs together. He told authorities that he panicked and proceeded to dismember her body using an axe and a saw, both of which were later recovered by detectives.

Cowell then scattered Leonard’s remains at three separate locations throughout Patchogue. He led investigators to these sites during the investigation.

Cowell entered his guilty plea on January 16, 2025, before Acting Supreme Court Justice Anthony S. Senft, Jr. A sentencing date has not yet been set.

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