A New York man has been indicted on murder and burglary charges after prosecutors say he broke into his estranged wife’s home, waited inside while she took their children to school, and later killed her using cyanide.
Asif Qureshi, 53, was arraigned last week before Judge Terence Murphy on an indictment charging him with Murder in the Second Degree and two counts of Burglary in the First Degree. If convicted, he faces a potential sentence of 25 years to life in prison.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly described the case as a calculated and premeditated ambush that violated the sanctity of a family home.
“Aleena Asif brought her children to school on October 17, 2025, unaware of the danger lurking inside her own home and her estranged husband hiding in the shadows,” Donnelly said. “A home should be a place of sanctuary, but this defendant turned it into a house of horrors.”
According to the indictment, the events unfolded on the morning of October 17, 2025.
Prosecutors allege that shortly after 46-year-old Aleena Asif left her home on Larch Drive at approximately 7:53 a.m. to take her children to school, Qureshi unlawfully entered the residence.
Surveillance footage reportedly shows the suspect wearing a dark hooded jacket, mask, and gloves while carrying a red-and-white tote bag as he unlocked the front door.
Investigators say the victim briefly returned home around 8:00 a.m. with the couple’s 7-year-old daughter, unaware that Qureshi was allegedly hiding inside. She left again at approximately 8:50 a.m. to walk the child to school.
When Aleena Asif returned home alone just after 9:00 a.m., prosecutors allege Qureshi attacked her, holding cyanide over her mouth and causing her death.
At approximately 10:50 a.m., nearly two hours later, surveillance footage allegedly captured Qureshi leaving the home carrying a large duffle bag.
Investigators say he traveled to the intersection of Marcus Avenue and Denton Avenue, where he retrieved an electric scooter he had locked to a telephone pole a week earlier, before fleeing toward Bellerose.
Concern arose later that afternoon when Aleena Asif failed to pick up her youngest child from school. Her 18-year-old daughter contacted police. Officers arrived at the locked residence and, upon entry, found Aleena Asif deceased in her bedroom, lying face up with distinct red chemical burns around her mouth.
The Nassau County Medical Examiner later ruled the cause of death as asphyxiation due to cyanide inhalation.
Authorities say the case was built largely on surveillance footage. Although the suspect was masked during the alleged break-in, investigators report that video from a nearby 7-Eleven and a Queens bus stop captured Qureshi wearing the same clothing without a mask.
Additional video evidence from October 10, 2025, one week before the killing, allegedly shows Qureshi scouting the area and securing the electric scooter used in his escape.
Following his arrest on October 23 by the Bureau of Special Operations, a search of Qureshi’s residence reportedly uncovered black latex gloves and bags consistent with those seen in surveillance footage.
Qureshi pleaded not guilty and was remanded without bail. He is represented by Stanley Rubin, Esq., and is scheduled to return to court on February 18, 2026.