Harvey “Marceline” Marcelin, 87, of New York, was found guilty by a Brooklyn Supreme Court jury on May 7 of first-degree murder, evidence tampering, and concealment of a human corpse.
A notorious trans-identifying serial killer has been convicted in the brutal 2022 slaying of 68-year-old Susan Leyden, whose dismembered headless torso was discovered in a shopping cart near her apartment in Brooklyn, New York City.
Harvey "Marceline" Marcelin, 87, of New York, was found guilty by a Brooklyn Supreme Court jury on May 7 of first-degree murder, evidence tampering, and concealment of a human corpse. He faces a maximum life sentence without the possibility of parole, the Brooklyn District Attorney's Office said.
The defendant had two prior murder convictions and was out on parole when he brutally murdered Leyden, making the victim his third confirmed kill.
On February 27, 2022, Susan Leyden was captured on surveillance video entering Marcelin's apartment on Pennsylvania Avenue in East New York, and was never seen exiting alive. Additional surveillance video showed Marcelin rolling a wheeled shopping bag with a plastic bag inside on March 2. Leyden's torso was discovered in the bag the next morning on March 3, according to court documents.
Police executed a search warrant and found Leyden's dismembered head and limbs, as well as blood, cleaning supplies, a hammer, and an electric saw inside Marcelin's unit. Furthermore, one of the victim's legs was found beside a garbage can, around three blocks from the apartment complex. According to court filings, Marcelin was caught on Home Depot surveillance footage purchasing a saw and cleaning materials around the time the victim went missing.
"This conviction holds the defendant accountable for the cruel and reprehensible murder of Susan Leyden," said Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. "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."
Investigators said that Marcelin and Leyden had lived in the same homeless shelter in the Bronx in 2019, though their relationship at the time of the victim's death is unclear.
In 1963, Marcelin was found guilty of first-degree murder in Manhattan for fatally shooting his girlfriend, Jacqueline Bonds. He was paroled in 1984. He was arrested the following year for stabbing his girlfriend, Ana-Laura Sierra, to death. Her body was found in a garbage bag. Marcelin pleaded guilty to manslaughter, was sentenced to prison, and was granted parole in 2019, records show.
Libby’s Desk
Commentary and must-reads from Libby’s desk, straight to your inbox.
TPM Newsletter
The Post Millennial’s top stories, delivered to your inbox.
