Woman, 95, Charged with Murder After Beating Nursing Home Roommate to Death

**kellyhound** · #1 ● 09-18-2025, 05:05 PM

Galina Smirnova, 95, is charged with second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon in connection with the death of 89-year-old Nina Kravtsov in Brooklyn. Her family said she was born in Ukraine and survived the Holocaust.

Galina Smirnova was arrested Tuesday, Sept. 16 in connection with the death of 89-year-old Nina Kravtsov. She was arraigned Wednesday, Sept. 17 and remanded into custody.

She is charged with second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.

According to a criminal complaint, police were called to the Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Coney Island at around 10:30 p.m. on Sunday, Sept. 14.

Witnesses allegedly told police they found Kravtsov “laying in her bed, non-responsive, covered in blood, and with gash marks about her face and head.”

Witnesses alleged Smirnova was in the bathroom wearing a bloody hospital gown. She allegedly “had blood on her legs, and the defendant was washing her hands in the bathroom sink.”

Officers found a wheelchair inside the room that had the foot rest and legs removed. One of the foot pedals was on the floor, covered in blood, per the criminal complaint. The other foot petal was outside the room underneath a window.

Kravtsov was taken to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn where she was pronounced dead. Authorities determined that Kravtsov died from blunt force trauma.

The Brooklyn District Attorney’s office had asked for a mental health examination for Smirnova, which her lawyer opposed. The judge overseeing the case did not order an evaluation, the DA's office tells.

Smirnova’s lawyer could not be reached for comment. She is due back in court on Friday, according to jail records, which do not indicate where she is being held.