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A 95-year-old woman, Galina Smirnova, has been charged with second-degree murder for allegedly killing her 89-year-old roommate, Nina Kravtsov, at a nursing home in Brooklyn, New York. The incident occurred at the Seagate Rehabilitation and Nursing Center in Coney Island, where Kravtsov was found with severe injuries on Sunday night.
According to the New York Times, police responded to a 911 call around 10:30 p.m. and discovered Kravtsov unresponsive, covered in blood, with gash marks on her face and head. She was taken to NYU Langone Hospital in Brooklyn, where she died from blunt force trauma early Monday morning.
A criminal complaint states that a witness saw Smirnova washing her hands in a blood-spattered room, and surveillance footage showed no one else entering or leaving the room before the incident. The alleged murder weapon, a footrest from Smirnova's wheelchair, was found outside the building.
As reported by ABC7NY, Kravtsov was a Holocaust survivor and great-grandmother. Her family's attorney, Randy Zelin, highlighted the role dementia may play in the case, both in a potential civil suit against the nursing home and in Smirnova's defense. The nursing home has faced previous staffing and negligence issues.
Smirnova was arraigned on Wednesday (September 17) in Brooklyn Criminal Court, where she pleaded not guilty and was held without bail. The Brooklyn district attorney's office has requested a mental health examination for Smirnova.
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