Lawrence Man Accused Of Wounding Sister With Crossbow Indicted On Attempted Murder Charge, DA Says

LAWRENCE, NY — A Lawrence man has been indicted on attempted murder and assault charges after shooting his sister in the face with a crossbow in a February incident, prosecutors announced.

Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly said Thursday that 21-year-old Samy Sedhom was arraigned on charges of second-degree attempted murder, first-degree assault, second-degree assault and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon. Sedhom’s attorney, Stephen Mulkoff, could not be reached for comment on this story.

The charges, Donnelly said, stem from a Feb. 13 incident in which Sedhom waited in his car across the street from the home he shares with his sister, who arrived home from the gym at about 9:20 p.m. that night. When she arrived home and parked the car, Sedhom got out of his car and shot at her with a Barnett Whitetail Hunter Crossbow, the DA’s office said, hitting her in the head and causing heavy bleeding with serious injuries to her right cheek, face and right ear.

“The defendant’s alleged actions were violent and calculated,” Donnelly said. “Sedhom allegedly tracked his sister and lain in wait before brutally attacking her with a crossbow in a clear attempt to take her life. An attack that was born out of revenge for an ongoing dispute about the temperature in their home and came within inches of being fatal. Home should be a safe haven, not a place of fear and bloodshed. My office will hold this defendant accountable for causing such deliberate harm.”

Sedhom’s sister, the DA said, was taken to Jamaica Hospital Medical Center for emergency surgery to stop the bleeding and close a laceration on her face that was about six inches long. Sedhom, the DA said, drove off after the incident and attempted to get rid of the crossbow. It was later discovered by NCPD, the DA said.

Sedhom was arrested the next day by Nassau County police, prosecutors said. A search of his room on the night of the attack turned up a katana, a laptop and an empty crossbow matching the one prosecutors say Sedhom used in the attack on his sister, prosecutors said.

Upon further investigation, prosecutors said they found that Sedhom had been planning to kill his sister since December after the two got into a series of arguments about the temperature of the thermostat in their home. Prior to the attack, prosecutors said the 21-year-old had placed a GPS device in his sister’s car to track her movements.

Sedhom is due back in court Apr. 30 and could face up to 25 years in prison if he's found guilty of the charges, prosecutors said.