Two men face charges after body is found

Two men in New York are facing charges related to the death of a 26-year-old man. The accused 25- and 28-year-old were arraigned on Nov. 17 for charges of concealment of a human corpse, hindering prosecution in the first degree and damaging physical evidence. Felony charges for second-degree murder were not filed during the arraignment as originally expected.

The 25-year-old defendant lives at an apartment building in Manhattan where the deceased man was last seen attending a party. The 28-year-old defendant was also at the party, though he resides in New Jersey. After finding the deceased man’s body in a shallow grave in New Jersey, investigators concluded that the body might have been brought to the location in the 25-year-old defendant’s black Mercedes. The 28-year-old defendant reportedly told detectives that he and the other man had buried the body.

Investigators used license plate reader records that are collected by the New York City Police Department to build their case. According to investigators, a black Mercedes registered to the 25-year-old defendant traveled through the Holland Tunnel towards New Jersey on the night after the party and then back through the tunnel early the next morning. A police dog was later used to identify the presence of human bodily fluids or a human cadaver. The dog gave alerts at the trunk of the Mercedes and in the defendant’s apartment.

A person who has been charged with a felony may want to have representation from a criminal defense attorney. An attorney may be able to help the defendant communicate with the prosecution so that they do not mistakenly incriminate themselves. If there is physical evidence that is being used against the defendant, an attorney may work to suppress some of the evidence by arguing that it was obtained unlawfully.