Graphic video showing Harvey Marcelin, a transgender woman, sitting on a severed human leg kept on her motorized scooter was shared by the NYPD on Friday. The 83-year-old is also accused of dumping a woman's severed body in a garage bag on a Brooklyn Street.
On Thursday, Marcelin was charged for the murder and other charges related to the death of her friend Susan Leyden, 68.
Severed Head Was Found in Marcelin's Home
Last week, a passerby found a headless torso dumped in garbage bag outside a construction safety gear shop located on the corner of Atlantic and Pennsylvania avenues. Following a 911 call a search warrant was issued for Marcelin's house, according to the criminal complaint.
A severed human head was found along saw blades in her apartment. Daily Mail reported that investigators also found tarot cards lying on the table.
The outlet reported that Leyden, who was staying in an LGBTQ+ elder housing community in Fort Greene, was known to the accused, even as the details of their relationship were not clear.
Announcing the indictment, Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said that last week his office charged Harvey Marcelin with allegedly concealing the severed head of a woman in her home and discarding the victim's torso in a bag on the street. "Today, the grand jury indicted Harvey Marcelin for murder, and my office is committed to vigorously seeking justice. The facts of this horrific case are gruesome and unsettling and my heart is with the victim's family and friends," Gonzalez added.
Marcelin Carried the Severed Human Leg Inside 99 Cent Store
The video shows, Marcelin shopping at a 99 cent store while sitting on a motorized scooter. As she stood up, a severed human leg, cut off from the knee down is seen on the wheelchair. Releasing the grisly footage, Chief of Detectives James Essig said, "She gets up out of her wheelchair there and the leg is right there on the seat."
The transwoman was earlier convicted twice for killings. New York Post reported that Marcelin, who has spent more than 50 years in state prison on murder and manslaughter convictions, was first found guilty for the murder of her live-in girlfriend Jacqueline Bonds in 1963. The court documents stated that the 83-year-old was also facing an attempted rape charge involving another woman.
While on parole during May 1984, Marcelin killed her then girlfriend and left her body in a trash bag in the street near Central Park. she was sentenced to six to 12 years in prison for the crime. Marcelin was released from prison in late 2019 on parole, according to the outlet.
