A beloved Long Island grandmother who was found dead inside her home last week was stabbed to death by her ex-boyfriend, who was later killed by police in Massachusetts, authorities said.
Rachel Frislid, 62, was found dead by a family member inside her Sayville, New York, home around 8:30 p.m. last Thursday.
Police say her ex-boyfriend, Brandon Hampson, 55, was responsible for the killing.
Hampson fled New York after the attack and was eventually tracked to Massachusetts.
On Wednesday night, Suffolk County police, along with Massachusetts state and local officers, located Hampson outside the French King Restaurant and Motel in Erving.
Authorities said he was outside smoking cigarettes when officers ordered him to surrender.
Instead, Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr. said Hampson pulled a knife from his clothing and charged toward officers.
Police repeatedly ordered him to stay on the ground and stop moving forward, but authorities said he refused.
“He got up with the knife and continued to go towards the officers where he was shot several times,” Early said.
Hampson was pronounced dead following the confrontation.
Massachusetts State Police Superintendent Geoff Noble described him as a “very dangerous individual” whose presence in the area posed a serious threat to the public.
Noble said Hampson was armed with a deadly weapon, ignored police commands and left officers with a split-second decision to use deadly force to protect themselves and others.
The deadly confrontation ended a manhunt that began after Frislid’s body was discovered on Long Island.
Frislid was a grandmother, longtime business owner and was reportedly preparing for retirement when she was killed.
Friends and members of the Sayville community remembered her as an incredibly kind woman devoted to her family.
“A heart of gold. Nicest woman you could have ever met. I don’t understand it,” Eileen Tyznar, president emeritus of the Sayville Chamber of Commerce, previously said.
Tyznar said Frislid frequently talked about her son, daughter and the rest of her family.
Frislid had taken over the family business, Academy Tent Rentals of Bohemia, after her husband died several years ago.
She had reportedly been planning to retire soon and move to Tennessee so she could live closer to her daughter and grandchild.
Those plans ended tragically when she was killed inside her home.
Peter Woram, who knew Frislid through a neighboring workplace, said news of her death left him heartbroken.
The investigation into Frislid’s killing and the fatal police shooting of Hampson remains ongoing.
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