95-year-old charged with killing Holocaust survivor roommate at Coney Island nursing home
Galina Smirnova, 95, is accused of fatally bludgeoning Nina Kravitsov, 89, with a wheelchair footrest, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
More Stories
A 95-year-old woman has been charged with murder in the killing of her 89-year-old roommate at a Coney Island nursing home, prosecutors said.
Galina Smirnova, 95, is accused of fatally bludgeoning Nina Kravitsov, 89, with a wheelchair footrest, according to the Brooklyn District Attorney’s Office.
Assistant District Attorney Ari Rottenberg said in court that nursing staff checked on the women around 8:55 p.m. on Sept. 14 and found Kravitsov asleep in bed and the room in order.
When staff returned an hour later, they found her covered in blood with severe head injuries.
Smirnova was discovered in the bathroom of the room, washing her hands, with blood on her gown and legs, prosecutors said.
A wheelchair with both footrests removed was nearby. One footrest, covered in blood, was on the floor of the room, and the other had been thrown out of the third-floor window, according to the criminal complaint.
Kravitsov was taken to NYU Langone Hospital–Brooklyn, where she was pronounced dead from blunt force trauma at 5:39 a.m. Monday.
Smirnova, who appeared in court in a wheelchair wearing a hospital gown, has been charged with murder.
Prosecutors said she has dementia. Her defense attorney told the court she is seeking more information about Smirnova’s medical history.
Smirnova, who is one of the oldest people charged with murder in New York City, is being held in custody.
