2 arrested after body found in Staten Island woods; Suspects allegedly lived with body for period of time

STATEN ISLAND, New York -- Two Staten Island roommates are in custody in the death of a man discovered buried in a shallow grave on Staten Island Wednesday -- and police said they allegedly lived with the body in a home for a period of time.

Police said 27-year-old Steven Mazzelli and 33-year-old Troy Williams, both from Staten Island, are charged with murder, robbery, and criminal possession of a weapon.

The two were linked to the death of Mandel Harvey, from Staten Island, whose body was discovered buried in the woods just steps away from the home where he was murdered.

Mazzelli and Williams apparently beat the 50-year-old victim to death with a baseball bat, police said. The victim appears to have died of blunt force trauma, but the Medical Examiner Office will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause of death.

The two lived with the body for a period of time, apparently unsure of what to do. Technically, Mazzelli and Williams do not live at the home where the murder took place -- a woman does -- but police said they were known to reside there with several other men.

At some point, they allegedly carried Harvey's body to the adjacent wooded area behind the condo complex and buried it, police said.

"It's not lit back there so anybody can walk back there and do anything if they wanted to," one neighbor said.

A tipster told police that he knew a man was buried in the woods off Ilyssa Way and Arthur Kill Road about six months ago.

The NYPD found the body, in an advanced state of decomposition, in a shallow grave.

Detectives then arrested the suspects Thursday, and they were arraigned in the afternoon.

Both Williams and Mazzelli have criminal records, officials said.