Prosecutors say the husband lay in wait inside the Herricks home, then used a toxic compound that burned the victim’s lungs.
MINEOLA, NY — A Nassau County grand jury has indicted Asif Qureshi, 53, on murder and burglary charges in the cyanide killing of his estranged wife, Aleena Asif, inside her Herricks home on Oct. 17, 2025, prosecutors said Thursday after his arraignment in county court.
The case stands out for its alleged planning and method. Authorities say Qureshi slipped into the house on Larch Drive after the morning school drop-off and waited for Asif, 46, to return alone. When she did, he allegedly pressed a rag containing a cyanide mixture over her mouth, causing fatal chemical burns and asphyxiation. Prosecutors describe surveillance video, recovered items and a timeline they say shows Qureshi scouting the area days earlier and fleeing on an electric scooter after the attack. Qureshi pleaded not guilty. He is being held without bail as the case moves toward trial, with prosecutors calling the killing one of the most disturbing they have seen.
According to the indictment and statements in court, the morning began around 7 a.m. when the couple’s 18-year-old daughter left for college classes. At about 7:53 a.m., Asif left with their 14-year-old son and 7-year-old daughter to drop them at school. Investigators say Qureshi then entered the locked home wearing a dark hooded jacket, baseball cap, mask and black gloves while carrying a red-and-white tote. After returning briefly around 8 a.m. with the youngest child, Asif left again at about 8:50 a.m. to walk the child to school. Just after 9 a.m., she came back alone. Prosecutors say Qureshi was still inside. By late morning, at roughly 10:50 a.m., video shows a man matching his clothing leaving the house with the tote and a large duffel, walking to Marcus and Denton avenues and riding away on a scooter that had been locked to a pole nearby. “This is one of the most horrifying cases I have seen in my 36-year career,” District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly said.
Police later performed a welfare check after the older daughter got a call that her mother never arrived for afternoon pickup. Officers found the house locked. Inside a bedroom, they discovered Asif’s body, face up, with red burns around her mouth. The medical examiner determined the cause of death was asphyxiation from inhaling a chemical agent identified as cyanide. Prosecutors say surveillance cameras in Queens captured Qureshi before and after the killing, sometimes with his mask lowered, and that earlier footage shows someone locking the same scooter to the same pole a week before the attack. A search of Qureshi’s residence recovered black latex gloves and bags consistent with those shown in video, according to authorities. Defense attorney Stanley Rubin said his client “vigorously” entered a not-guilty plea and is presumed innocent.
Records and prior reports point to a troubled separation. Police had previously been called to the Herricks address multiple times for domestic incidents dating to 2023, according to reporting at the time, and investigators say Qureshi had been stalking Asif after she sought a divorce. In court, prosecutors characterized the manner of death as particularly cruel, describing how a single breath of the compound could burn lung tissue. Neighbors told reporters the block is usually quiet during the school rush. Family members said Asif, a mother of three who worked long hours, had been rebuilding her life during the separation. Her brother, speaking after the October homicide, called her “a very beautiful human being and very hard-working” and said she “didn’t deserve this kind of death.”
At arraignment, Judge Terence Murphy ordered Qureshi held without bail on charges of second-degree murder and two counts of first-degree burglary. Prosecutors outlined the timeline and evidence they intend to present, including the scooter route, convenience-store sightings, and the medical findings. The case is assigned to the district attorney’s Homicide Bureau. If convicted of murder, Qureshi faces 25 years to life in prison. Prosecutors said he was arrested Oct. 23, 2025, by Nassau police in Bellerose, Queens. The next court date is set for Feb. 18. Investigators have not publicly detailed how the cyanide was obtained or mixed, and they have not described any additional suspects. Authorities said the children are with family.
Outside the courthouse in Mineola, relatives watched the proceeding from the gallery. Some quietly wept as prosecutors described the burning injuries. Neighbors in Herricks said police tape and marked cars lined Larch Drive on the day officers forced entry in October. One resident recalled children walking home from school as detectives moved in and out of the house. “We all know each other here,” the neighbor said. “Seeing that ambulance on a weekday felt unreal.” The district attorney, who praised the “painstaking” work of detectives canvassing blocks and pulling hours of video, asked the public to keep the family in mind as the case advances. Rubin did not address specific evidence but said outside court that Qureshi maintains his innocence and looks forward to contesting the charges.
As of Sunday, Qureshi remains jailed pending his scheduled Feb. 18 court appearance in Nassau County Court. Prosecutors say more filings are expected before then, including motions on evidence and discovery.
Author note: Last updated January 11, 2026.