Home Health Aide Charged in Stabbing of Elderly Patient
A home health aide from Long Island is facing serious charges after allegedly stabbing a sleeping elderly patient with a kitchen knife. Prosecutors claim she held the knife against the victim for an agonizing 16 minutes.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly announced that 23-year-old Amanda Fraser has been charged with attempted murder. This incident reportedly took place early in the morning on October 29th at a Massapequa residence, where the victim, an 84-year-old woman, was asleep.
According to officials, Fraser, a resident of Queens, entered the victim’s home around 2:08 a.m., proceeded to her bedroom, and stabbed her with an 8-inch knife. Investigation and video evidence support these claims.
After being stabbed, the elderly woman woke up “groaning in pain” and attempted to pull the knife from her body. However, Fraser allegedly held onto the knife and ominously told the victim to “let go” and “stop fighting.”
By 2:24 a.m., Fraser had left the home after removing the knife from the woman’s body, according to the district attorney’s office.
Later that morning, around 8:30 a.m., law enforcement responded to a welfare check request and discovered the elderly woman bleeding from her stab wound. She was quickly taken to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment, suffering from a lung injury.
“In the middle of the night, while this patient lay in bed, the defendant is said to have wielded an approximately 8-inch knife and attacked her while she was asleep,” Donnelly stated.
“For those 16 agonizing minutes, as the woman cried out in pain, Amanda Fraser allegedly held the knife firmly against her and repeatedly urged her to submit,” she added. “Failing to kill her, the defendant then left the woman, who was supposed to be cared for, bleeding and alone.”
Donnelly emphasized the trust families place in home health aides, noting that this incident brought nothing but fear and suffering to the victim’s life.
The elderly patient remained hospitalized for an infection stemming from the stab wound, according to authorities.
Law enforcement also discovered Fraser’s car parked on the victim’s front lawn. She was arrested by Nassau County police in Queens later that same day.
Before facing charges, Fraser underwent a psychiatric evaluation at a hospital, according to reports.
Her employer, Aides at Home, referred to the unfortunate stabbing as an isolated incident. “We are cooperating fully with the ongoing investigation,” a manager from the Hicksville office stated.
As for charges, Fraser now faces attempted second-degree murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault, and endangering the welfare of both an elderly and incapacitated person. She has been ordered held without bail and is set to return to court on December 9. If found guilty, she could face up to 25 years in prison.
