Elder Parolee Sentenced to Life in Prison for Murdering and Dismembering Brooklyn Woman

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Wednesday, June 10, 2026

Elder Parolee Sentenced to Life in Prison for
Murdering and Dismembering Brooklyn Woman

Torso and Leg were Discovered on Street Inside Plastic Bags,
Additional Body Parts Recovered from Defendant's Apartment

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez today announced that an 88-year-old parolee has been sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole after getting convicted of first-degree murder and other charges for killing a Brooklyn woman whose body parts were discovered inside and in the vicinity of the defendant's East New York apartment.

District Attorney Gonzalez said, "The brutality of this shocking crime is almost beyond words. This defendant committed a horrific murder that took Susan Leyden's life and inflicted unimaginable pain on her family and loved ones. He must be locked away, and today's sentence ensures that he will never be able to hurt anyone else again. I hope this outcome provides Susan's family and loved ones with a measure of justice and some comfort as they continue to grieve."

The District Attorney identified the defendant as Harvey Marcelin, 88, of East New York, Brooklyn. The defendant was sentenced today by Brooklyn Supreme Court Justice Danny Chun to life in prison without the possibility of parole following a conviction last month of first-degree murder, tampering with physical evidence and concealment of a human corpse after a jury trial.

The District Attorney said that, according to the evidence, surveillance footage taken on February 27, 2022, showed the victim, 68-year-old Susan Leyden, entering the defendant's apartment on Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York. She was never seen leaving the apartment alive. Additional surveillance footage showed the defendant rolling a wheeled shopping bag containing a black plastic bag on March 2. The victim's torso was discovered in that bag in the early morning hours of March 3.

In a subsequent search of the defendant's apartment, police discovered the victim's head and limbs, as well as blood, cleaning supplies, a hammer, and the box from an electric saw. On March 7, one of the victim's legs was found near a garbage can about three blocks away. In addition, surveillance video showed the defendant purchasing a saw and cleaning supplies in a Manhattan Home Depot around the time of the victim's disappearance.

The Medical Examiner determined that the victim, who resided in Clinton Hill, suffered blunt force trauma to the head and other physical injuries to her body. The investigation revealed that the defendant and the victim lived in the same shelter in the Bronx in 2019, but the nature of their relationship is unclear.

On October 16, 1963, the defendant was convicted of first-degree murder in Manhattan, forming the basis of the first-degree murder charge in this case.

The case was investigated by New York City Police Department Detectives Thomas Pisano, of Brooklyn North Homicide Squad, and David Quattrocchi of the 75th Precinct Detective Squad. Paralegal Supervisor Jannette Ayala and Paralegal Monika Rostkowska, of the District Attorney's Homicide Bureau, assisted in the investigation.

The case was prosecuted by Assistant District Attorney Leila Rosini, Chief of the District Attorney's Homicide Bureau and Senior Assistant District Attorney Viviane Dussek, of the Homicide Bureau.

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