Queens home health aide indicted on attempted murder charges, accused of stabbing elderly patient in Massapequa

A Queens home health aide plunged a knife into the torso of an elderly Massapequa woman as she slept last month, repeatedly telling the victim, who survived, to "just let go," Nassau County prosecutors said Friday as they charged the woman with attempted murder.

Amanda Fraser, 23, of South Richmond Hills, was arraigned on charges of second-degree attempted murder; two counts of first-degree assault; second-degree assault; two counts of first-degree endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person and first-degree endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person.

She has been remanded since the Oct. 29 attack, and faces up to 25 years in prison if convicted.

Fraser, while working for Aides at Home Inc. in Hicksville, went into the bedroom of the 84-year-old woman shortly after 2 a.m. and stabbed a chef's knife into her torso, authorities said.

"In the middle of the night as her elderly patient laid in her bed, this defendant allegedly brandished an approximately eight-inch blade and plunged it into the sleeping woman’s body," said District Attorney Anne Donnelly. She held the knife in place for 16 minutes, Donnelly said, urging the woman to succumb to the wound.

Fraser, who told the woman to "just let go" and "stop fighting it," finally removed the knife at 2:24 a.m. and exited the home, authorities said.

Taryn Schechter of the Nassau County Legal Aid Society, Fraser's defense attorney, did not respond to a request for comment.

The following morning, police arrived at the home to conduct a wellness check and took the victim to Nassau University Medical Center for treatment of a puncture wound to her lung, officials said.

Fraser's Dodge Charger was found parked in the middle of the victim's front yard, police said.

The victim was later treated at NUMC for an infection stemming from the stab wound before being released this week.

According to the New York Home Health Aide registry, Fraser completed a training program and received certification in November 2020. In addition to Aides at Home, records show she previously worked for Caring Professionals Inc. in Forest Hills and Brooklyn Boulevard ALP LHCSA.

Aides at Home has said it was cooperating with the investigation.

Fraser, who was arrested in Queens on Oct. 29, is due back in court on Dec. 9.

By Robert Brodsky

robert.brodsky@newsday.com@BrodskyRobert

Robert Brodsky is a breaking news reporter who has worked at Newsday since 2011. He is a Queens College and American University alum.