Nicholas McGee: Man arrested for stabbing roommate, dismembering body and storing remains in fridge

Warning: This article contains a recollection of crime and can be triggering to some, readers’ discretion advised.

BROOKYLN, NEW YORK: New York Police have arrested a second individual in connection with the disturbing discovery made in a Brooklyn apartment in January. 

The remains of a dismembered body were found inside a refrigerator and freezer.

The defendant, identified as Nicholas McGee, was extradited from Virginia to face murder charges related to the killing of Kawsheen Gelzer.

Gelzer was discovered dead inside a residence on Nostrand Avenue after Crime Stoppers received an anonymous tip on January 22, as reported by NBC New York.

What are the charges placed on Nicholas McGee?

In connection with the 2022 death of Kawsheen Gelzer, aged 39, Nicholas McGee, 45, is facing charges including murder, robbery, tampering with physical evidence, and concealment of a human corpse. 

As McGee was escorted by police in handcuffs outside the 67th Precinct on Friday, April 12, he stuck his tongue out, Law&Crime reported.

Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez said, "This was a gruesome and horrific murder that we allege began with an attack on the victim as he slept. We will now seek to hold the defendant accountable for this senseless crime."

McGee was apprehended in Chesapeake, Virginia, where he had been detained for an unrelated identity fraud case. During interviews with investigators while in custody, he purportedly confessed to the killing. 

He was transported back to New York this week and is anticipated to make a court appearance on Monday, April 15. 

Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny commented on McGee's criminal history, noting prior arrests in Cincinnati and Kentucky, saying, "He’s just a thief. He goes where the money takes him."

What happened to Kawsheen Gelzer?

The tragic incident occurred in March 2022 at an apartment in Flatbush. Allegedly, McGee stabbed Gelzer in the back while Gelzer slept on the couch. 

Gelzer awakened and, in a struggle with the suspect, was stabbed multiple times and struck with a hammer, according to prosecutors. 

Following the altercation, McGee purportedly removed drugs from Gelzer's pocket and proceeded to dismember Gelzer's body using a small saw and hammer, prosecutors claimed. 

McGee then placed most of the remains in plastic bags and a suitcase, while placing the victim's head and torso in the refrigerator and the arms and legs in the freezer.

NYPD Chief of Detectives Joseph Kenny remarked during a news briefing, "The refrigerator was taped up. They were trying to hole up, I guess, the smell inside." 

The case came to light on January 22, 2024 when police responded to the location following an anonymous tip suggesting that Heather Stines, the suspect's wife, was concealing a body in her refrigerator. 

Upon discovery of the remains, Stines was arrested.

Stines, aged 45, is facing charges including first-degree hindering prosecution, concealment of a human corpse, and tampering with physical evidence, prosecutors stated.

Stines stated that her husband was responsible for the man's death and had stored the body in their refrigerator. She maintains that she did not witness the killing. She further revealed to detectives that the deceased was a local drug dealer who had a dispute with her husband.

Gelzer had been couch surfing at the apartment and the police said the killing stemmed from a dispute over unpaid rent.