Man found dismembered in fridge in Brooklyn was killed in dispute over unpaid rent, police say
Detectives believe his body chilling inside the refrigerator for nearly 2 years
FLATBUSH, Brooklyn (WABC) -- The man discovered dismembered in a refrigerator in Brooklyn was killed during a dispute over unpaid rent, police said. Detectives believe his body was there for nearly two years.
The victim, identified as Kawsheen Gelzer, died of blunt force trauma to the head and was then dismembered and placed in the refrigerator.
It's believed he was killed in March 2022, and was reported missing by his mother on April 22, 2022.
Gelzer was couch surfing and staying at the third-floor apartment on Nostrand Avenue in Flatbush, paying the residents through drugs, at the time of his death.
When he missed a payment, detectives allege that the resident, 45-year-old Nicholas McGee, killed him. They believe he cut the body up with a Leatherman tool, wrapped it in bags, and glued the refrigerator doors shut.
Detectives traveled to a Chesapeake, Virginia, prison to interview McGee, where he was serving time for identity theft.
He admitted to detectives that he killed Gelzer when he refused to pay his rent. He waited for Gelzer to fall asleep and then beat him with a hammer. When Gelzer woke up, he stabbed him with a knife, killing him.
McGee was indicted Monday in the death, and he is now awaiting extradition from Virginia.
He has 15 prior arrests for property crime thefts, including two arrests in Cincinnati and another in Kentucky.
McGee's common-law wife, 45-year-old Heather Stines, had already been arrested and was cooperating with detectives.
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