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Nursing home resident, 95, charged with beating Holocaust survivor roommate to death with wheelchair pedal
By Alexandra Koch
Published September 18, 2025
A 95-year-old woman was arrested in New York after allegedly bludgeoning her 89-year-old nursing home roommate to death with a wheelchair pedal.
Galina Smirnova, 95, is charged with murder and criminal possession of a weapon, according to officials. She was transferred to another hospital before her next hearing.
Authorities said a nurse found 89-year-old Nina Kravtsov, a Holocaust survivor from Ukraine, covered in blood and unresponsive Sunday at the Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Coney Island, according to a report from affiliate FOX 5.
Nearly an hour after she was last seen sleeping, the nurse found Kravtsov with gashes to the face, as her roommate, Smirnova, washed blood off her hands and clothing in their shared bathroom, according to the report.
The murder allegedly occurred at Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in New York. (WNYW)
Police said Smirnova’s hospital gown and legs were also stained with blood.
A bloody wheelchair pedal that was reportedly thrown out a third-floor window has been identified as the potential murder weapon, the report noted.
FILE – A bloody wheelchair pedal was allegedly thrown from the building. (iStock)
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Family members of nursing home residents told FOX 5 they were concerned about their loved ones' safety.
Authorities said the victim was found beaten to death at Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in New York. (WNYW)
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"I was terrified. I didn’t know what to think, actually," said a woman who wished to remain anonymous. "The first thing I did was call and make sure my mom was okay and that nobody else got hurt."
https://www.foxnews.com/us/nursing-home-resident-95-charged-beating-holocaust-survivor-roommate-death-wheelchair-pedal