Nationwide — Galina Smirnova, a 95-year-old resident of a nursing home in Brooklyn, New York City, has been charged with murder after allegedly beating her 89-year-old roommate, Nina Kravtsov, to death using wheelchair parts. Police say the attack left the victim with severe head injuries.
Smirnova was arrested on September 16 at the Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Coney Island. She was arraigned the following day and taken into custody. She now faces charges of second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
According to People, authorities said officers were called to the nursing home late on September 14. Witnesses told investigators they found Kravtsov unresponsive in her bed, bleeding heavily with deep wounds to her face and head. Smirnova was reportedly in the bathroom nearby, dressed in a bloodstained hospital gown, with blood on her legs while washing her hands.
Inside the room, police discovered a dismantled wheelchair. One of the foot pedals, covered in blood, was found on the floor. The other was located outside the room under a window, according to the criminal complaint.
Kravtsov was rushed to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where she was pronounced dead. The medical examiner ruled her cause of death as blunt force trauma.
The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office requested a mental health evaluation for Smirnova, but her lawyer opposed the motion. The judge declined to issue the exam. Smirnova’s attorney has not publicly commented. She is expected to return to court on Friday.