Former boyfriend suspected in stabbing death of Rachel Frislid, of Sayville, shot dead by Massachusetts police, authorities say
Rachel Frislid, 62, of Sayville, who was found dead in her home earlier this month. She was the victim of a violent attack, according to Suffolk Police Commissioner Kevin Catalina. Credit: LinkedIn
A New York State man wanted by Suffolk police in the killing of a Sayville woman was killed by law enforcement officers in the western Massachusetts town of Erving, according to Suffolk police and Massachusetts law enforcement.
Law enforcement identified the dead man as Brandon William Hampson, 55, who Suffolk police say stabbed Rachel Frislid, 62, to death in her home Sept. 3. Police described him as her ex-boyfriend.
Law enforcement said officers shot Hampson at about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday night after he displayed a knife and charged at them.
In a news conference and release Thursday, Massachusetts law enforcement officials said Suffolk detectives notified them Wednesday that Hampson could be in the area, staying at the French King Motel.
Members of the Massachusetts State Police and the Northwestern District Anti-Crime Task Force found him outside, smoking a cigarette. When they ordered him to surrender, an official said at the news conference, "he took a knife from within his clothes and went after several police officers."
He was shot and fell to the ground but got up and "continued to go toward officers," the official said. He was shot several more times.
Hampson was taken to Baystate Franklin Medical Center in Greenfield, where he was pronounced dead, according to a news release from the Worcester County District Attorney's Office, which is investigating the shooting.
Frislid's family could not be reached Thursday.
In a phone interview, Eileen Tyznar, administrator of the Greater Sayville Chamber of Commerce, who befriended Frislid decades ago when the two attended junior high school in Seaford, said she would pray for Frislid's relatives. “They are going through this terrible time,” she said. “This is a tragic thing that happened to such a wonderful, beautiful person.”
Scott Posner, chairman of the board of the St. James Chamber of Commerce, where Frislid planned the annual St. James Day street fair, said the news was a relief. Of Frislid’s family, he said, “We hope this helps them. It’s a terrible loss. We’re all still reeling.”
Nicholas Spangler is a general assignment reporter and has worked at Newsday since 2010.
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