Bellerose man charged with poisoning estranged wife inside her home after waiting for children to leave
MINEOLA, NY — A quiet morning routine in a Nassau County home ended in violence when a Bellerose man allegedly hid inside his estranged wife’s residence, waited for her children to leave, and then poisoned the 46-year-old mother with cyanide, prosecutors said Thursday.
Asif Qureshi, 53, was indicted on charges of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree burglary in connection with the death of Aleena Asif, who was found dead inside her Herricks home on Larch Drive. He was arraigned before Judge Terence Murphy, pleaded not guilty, and was remanded pending his next court appearance on February 18. If convicted, he faces up to 25 years to life in prison.
According to the indictment, the events unfolded during the early morning hours of a school day in mid-October. After the victim’s 18-year-old daughter left for college classes, Aleena Asif departed with her two younger children to drop them off at school. Prosecutors allege Qureshi entered the home during that window, dressed in dark clothing, gloves, and a mask, and remained inside as he waited.
Aleena Asif later returned home briefly with her youngest child, then left again to walk the child to school. Investigators said she returned to the residence shortly after 9 a.m., unaware that Qureshi was allegedly still inside. Authorities allege he then used cyanide to kill her before leaving the home nearly two hours later carrying bags and fleeing the area on an electric scooter.
That afternoon, concern grew when the victim failed to pick up her youngest child from school. Police were called to the locked home, where Aleena Asif was discovered deceased in her bedroom with visible facial injuries. An autopsy later determined the cause of death to be asphyxiation from cyanide inhalation.
Investigators say surveillance footage played a key role in the case, capturing Qureshi in the same clothing near the home, at nearby stores, and along his escape route both on the day of the killing and in the days before. A search of his residence following his arrest recovered items consistent with those seen in the video evidence.
Qureshi was arrested days later in Bellerose, Queens. The case is being prosecuted by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office homicide bureau.
Key Points
- Bellerose man indicted on murder and burglary charges in cyanide poisoning death of estranged wife
- Prosecutors allege he waited inside the home after children left for school before carrying out the killing
- Surveillance video and physical evidence are central to the case
