Gary Cowell, 72, of Patchogue, pleaded guilty to concealing a human corpse and related charges in Suffolk County Court on Thursday, Jan. 16, in connection to the death of Yvette Leonard.
Suffolk County Police interviewed Cowell after learning that he was the last person to see Leonard alive in June 2024, according to the district attorney’s office.
After multiple interviews with witnesses and numerous subpoenas and search warrants, Cowell confessed to detectives that he panicked after Leonard overdosed on drugs the pair had been ingesting.
He admitted to dismembering the woman’s body and led investigators to three separate sites in Patchogue where he scattered her remains, prosecutors said. Detectives recovered the axe and saw Cowell used to dismember the victim.
In court Thursday, Cowell pleaded guilty to unlawful concealment of a human corpse and tampering with physical evidence, both felonies. He faces up to four years in prison.
“This defendant’s actions following Ms. Leonard’s death denied the victim of the dignity and respect that she deserved,” said Suffolk County District Attorney Raymond Tierney. “We hope that this plea allows Ms. Leonard’s family some measure of closure after enduring immense pain.”
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