MINEOLA, NY – A Queens woman has been indicted on attempted murder and assault charges after allegedly stabbing an 84-year-old woman she was hired to care for in the victim’s Massapequa home, prosecutors announced.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said 23-year-old Amanda Fraser was arraigned Friday before Judge Colin O’Donnell and ordered held without bail.
Fraser allegedly plunged an eight-inch chef’s knife into the elderly woman’s torso as she slept, then held the weapon in place for more than 16 minutes while urging the victim to “just let go.”
The victim survived after being rushed to Nassau University Medical Center, where she was treated for a punctured lung and subsequent infection.
Key Points
- Home health aide Amanda Fraser, 23, charged with attempted murder for stabbing 84-year-old patient.
- Prosecutors say Fraser held the knife in the victim’s torso for 16 minutes while telling her to die.
- The victim survived after emergency surgery and hospitalization for complications.
Disturbing attack caught on home surveillance video
According to investigators, the incident occurred around 2:08 a.m. on October 29 inside the victim’s Massapequa residence. Video evidence allegedly shows Fraser entering the bedroom, stabbing the woman in the torso, and maintaining pressure on the knife as the victim struggled in pain.
Prosecutors said Fraser ultimately pulled the knife from the woman’s body and fled the home, leaving her bleeding in bed. Police located Fraser’s Dodge Charger abandoned on the victim’s front lawn.
The victim was discovered six hours later when police responded and was immediately taken to the hospital for surgery.
Defendant faces up to 25 years in prison
Fraser was arrested later that day in Queens by members of the Nassau County Police Department. She is charged with Attempted Murder in the Second Degree, multiple counts of Assault, and Endangering the Welfare of a Vulnerable Elderly Person, among other offenses.
If convicted, she faces a potential sentence of up to 25 years in prison. Fraser is scheduled to appear in court again on December 9.
Deputy Bureau Chief Veronica Guariglia of the Homicide Bureau is prosecuting the case under the supervision of Bureau Chief Jared Rosenblatt and Executive Assistant District Attorney Kevin Higgins.