In a chilling turn of events, a grand jury in Long Island has indicted a man from Bellerose on charges of murder and burglary, alleging he poisoned his estranged wife with cyanide. The accused, 53-year-old Asif Qureshi, is implicated in the tragic death of Aleena Asif on October 17, 2025, according to Nassau County District Attorney Anne T. Donnelly.

The grim discovery was made when Aleena Asif, aged 46, was found lifeless in her home, her face marred by burns. The medical examiner concluded her death resulted from chemical asphyxiation, a revelation that has sent shockwaves through the community, as detailed by CrimeOnline.

District Attorney Donnelly explained that on the morning of the incident, Aleena had taken her children to school, completely oblivious to the sinister presence of Qureshi, who had clandestinely entered the house and awaited her return.

“In a heinous act, he allegedly suffocated her with cyanide, leaving her lifeless for their children to discover,” Donnelly remarked. “A home, meant to be a sanctuary, was transformed into a scene of horror by this defendant.”

The timeline of that fateful morning paints a disturbing picture. After taking her 14-year-old son to school around 8 a.m. and briefly returning home with her 7-year-old daughter, Aleena left again to accompany her daughter to school at approximately 8:50 a.m. It was during this brief window that Qureshi reportedly lay in wait, hidden within the confines of the family home, according to Donnelly’s account.

Qureshi entered the home when Asif left to take her 14-year-old son to school shortly before 8 a.m. She took her 7-year-old daughter with her, but returned with the daughter a few minutes later. Qureshi remained hidden in the home, Donnelly said, when Asif left with the daughter at about 8:50 a.m. to walk her to school.

Asif returned home a few minutes after 9. Qureshi remained inside until nearly 11 a.m. before leaving and walking to a nearby intersection, where he got on an electric scooter and rode away.

That afternoon, the young daughter’s school phoned her 18-year-old sister to say that Asif had not picked up the 7-year-old at the end of the school day. The teen called police, who arrived at the home and found it locked. When they entered, they found Asif dead on her bed “with red facial burns around her mouth.”

Investigators obtained surveillance video showing Qureshi wearing the same dark clothing he was seen wearing when he arrived at the home on several other occasions, including locking the electric scooter to the pole a week before the murder, walking to house and around it, and then leaving.

Qureshi was arrested a week after the murder.

He has pleaded not guilty to the charges and is being held without bond. His next court appearance is February 18, according to Law&Crime.