95-year-old woman beats Holocaust survivor to death in Brooklyn nursing home
Officers found Nina Kravtsov in her bed, covered in blood, with cuts and fractures to her face and head
Brooklyn District Attorney's Office charged 95-year-old Galina Smirnova with the murder of her roommate at a New York nursing home. The victim, 89-year-old Holocaust survivor Nina Kravtsov, died of blunt force trauma.
Police responded to Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Coney Island Sunday night after receiving a report of an assault.
Officers found Nina Kravtsov in her bed, covered in blood, with cuts and fractures to her face and head. She was taken to a hospital but died early Monday, according to the medical examiner's office.
In the bathroom, they found Smirnova washing her bloody hands. Near the bed, staff found a blood-stained wheelchair pedal, which they identified as the murder weapon, according to a criminal complaint obtained by ABC News.
The victim: Holocaust survivor
The family of Kravtsov, who was born in Ukraine, confirmed that she survived the Holocaust but died a violent death at the nursing home.
“The pain is indescribable. It is my duty to seek justice for a woman who endured the unthinkable and could not survive in a nursing home,” said Randy Zelin, an attorney for the family.
Smirnova was arraigned Wednesday and charged with second-degree murder and fourth-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
The judge ordered her held without bail. She did not enter a plea at the hearing.

