Key witness testifies in trial of 87-year-old alleged serial killer accused of dismembering woman
Lisa Lindahl, a key witness in the case, took the stand for several hours. She told jurors she was inside Marcelin’s Pennsylvania Avenue apartment in early March 2022, when prosecutors say Leyden was killed and later dismembered.
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Jurors heard grueling testimony Thursday in the trial of Harvey Marcelin, the man accused of killing and dismembering 68-year-old Susan Leyden and scattering her remains across East New York.
Lisa Lindahl, a key witness in the case, took the stand for several hours. She told jurors she was inside Marcelin’s Pennsylvania Avenue apartment in early March 2022, when prosecutors say Leyden was killed and later dismembered.
Lindahl testified that she went with Marcelin to Home Depot, where he purchased cleaning supplies and a saw that authorities believe was used to cut up the victim’s body.
She said she was homeless and addicted to heroin. She said Marcelin had invited her to stay overnight to get out of the cold, and that the two used drugs that night. According to Lindahl, she did not see Leyden’s body in the bathroom until the next morning.
Defense attorneys pressed her hard, suggesting she may have played a larger role. They argued Lindahl helped choose the items purchased at Home Depot.
Lindahl said she was in shock and distraught but acknowledged helping clean some of the blood inside and outside the apartment.
She was also pressed about why she did not leave or contact police, even when Marcelin left the apartment on two occasions. Lindahl said she was too overwhelmed to do anything.
Jurors were shown graphic photographs from inside the apartment, including images of garbage bags containing human remains.
Some jurors appeared visibly shaken, covering their mouths as the images were displayed in court.
The trial is expected to continue in the coming days. Jurors will ultimately be tasked with determining whether Lindahl was only a witness or if she bears some responsibility in the killing.
