A New York home health aide has been charged with attempted murder after prosecutors say she repeatedly stabbed the elderly woman she was hired to care for.
Amanda Fraser, 23, was arrested in October after allegedly attacking Wendy Wilson, then 84, while working an overnight shift at Wilson’s home in Massapequa, New York. According to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly, surveillance footage from inside the home shows Fraser entering Wilson’s bedroom at 2:08 a.m. on Oct. 29 as the older woman slept.
Prosecutors say Fraser then drove an 8-inch chef’s knife into Wilson’s torso and “repeatedly whispered for the woman to succumb.” Donnelly alleged that Fraser kept the knife lodged in Wilson’s body for “an excruciating 16 minutes.”
Wilson woke up in severe pain and tried to pull the knife out, according to the DA. Fraser allegedly “maintained her grip on the knife handle” during the struggle while quietly telling Wilson to “just let go” and “stop fighting it.”
At 2:28 a.m., Fraser removed the knife and left the residence, according to timestamps from the surveillance video. Wilson’s son, Kery Kilgannon, told local ABC affiliate WABC that exterior cameras at the home appeared to show Fraser trying to ram the house with her Dodge Charger before fleeing on foot. Coverage from CBS affiliate WCBS the following day showed the vehicle still on the front lawn of Wilson’s home.
Wilson’s family told WABC that she was discovered the next morning by the home health aide assigned to the day shift. Police arrived around 8:30 a.m., and Wilson was transported to a hospital, where she was treated for a punctured lung that later became infected. She remained hospitalized for weeks and turned 85 while still in care.
According to a press release from the Nassau County Police Department, Fraser was located in Queens and arrested later on Oct. 29. WCBS reported that she was taken to a hospital for a mental health evaluation before her Nov. 3 arraignment. The station also spoke with a manager at Aides at Home, the agency that employed Fraser, who said, “The investigation is ongoing. We’re cooperating fully.”
Fraser has been indicted on charges of attempted second-degree murder, two counts of first-degree assault, second-degree assault, two counts of endangering the welfare of a vulnerable elderly person, and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person. She is being held at the Nassau County Correctional Center and is scheduled to return to court on Dec. 9.
