Long Island man accused of shooting sister in head with crossbow pleads not guilty to attempted murder
A Long Island man accused of shooting his sister in the head with a crossbow pleaded not guilty to attempted murder, assault and weapons charges Thursday.
Samy Sedhom, 21, remains remanded and is due back in court on April 30.
Victim seriously injured
The alleged attack happened on Feb. 13 at Sedhom and his 28-year-old sister's home on West Avenue in Lawrence.
According to the Nassau County District Attorney's Office, Sedhom's sister had just parked her car in the detached garage, exited the vehicle, and started to close the garage door when Sedhom shot her in the head with a G5 hunting arrow using a crossbow.
Sedhom then allegedly got into his car, which was parked across the street, and drove to the intersection of West and Bayview avenues, where he discarded the crossbow.
The victim suffered serious injuries to her right ear, right cheek and face, including a laceration that was about 6 inches long, officials said. She was taken to a local hospital, where she had to undergo emergency surgery.
Arguments over thermostat
Prosecutors claim Sedhom had been planning to kill his sister since December 2025 after the siblings had multiple arguments about the temperature of their home's thermostat.
Before the attack, Sedhom allegedly purchased a high-performance Barnett Whitetail Hunter Crossbow, a three-pack of hunting arrows, and a GPS device, which officials said he installed inside his sister's car to track her.
The DA's office said investigators found a katana, a laptop, and an empty crossbow box in Sedhom's bedroom the night his sister was attacked. Investigators also later recovered the weapon used in the attack.
Sedhom was arrested on Feb. 14.
Nassau County District Attorney Anne Donnelly refuted the defense's argument that the attack was a "prank" that went terribly wrong.
"We're talking about an inch would have killed somebody. [That] doesn't deserve the word prank, it deserves the word attempted murder," she said.
If convicted, Sedhom faces up to 25 years in prison.
