Kriti Mehrotra
When Nicole “Nikki” Addimando pulled the trigger on her then-boyfriend Christopher “Chris” Grover in the early morning hours of September 28, 2017, it shocked their entire community to its core. That’s because, as profiled in ’48 Hours: The Case Against Nicole Addimando’ and ’20/20: Kill or Be Killed,’ she has always maintained she shot the father of her two children owing to his abuse. Yet for now, if you just wish to learn more about one of her biggest supporters despite the fact she has since been convicted of murder — her sister Michelle Horton — we’ve got you covered.
Who is Michelle Horton?
If we can only use one word to describe Michelle, it has to be resilient, considering she is probably the loudest voice demanding freedom for her sister regardless of the mixed outside support. After all, while Nikki did allegedly face years of physical, mental, as well as emotional abuse, she ultimately took an extreme step to deal with the issue rather than reporting it to the authorities. In fact, according to several reports, she kept her domestic situation so quiet that even her sibling was utterly “dumb and blind” to Christopher’s supposed toxic nature until it was already too late.
Michelle has ostensibly always been quite close to Nikki since they mostly just had one another growing up in New York, which is why this whole situation initially left her completely bewildered. She couldn’t comprehend how she’d been in the dark for so long even though she knew the couple intimately, especially as her sister had seemingly begun fearing for not only her life but also that of her kids. This is thus a small part of the many reasons she decided to stand by the now-convicted felon; she knew Nikki was a devoted mother who’d never do anything for her son Ben and daughter Faye.
“Nikki is a mother first and foremost,” Michelle once said. “Her life orbited around the needs of her children — she was (and continues to be) one of the most attuned, emotionally available mothers I know. Even now, over a recorded prison line, she models parenting language and approaches to help me be a better mom. Whether it’s as a mom or sister or friend, Nikki is extraordinarily thoughtful and generous. She has the ability to connect with everyone she meets… Locking away someone like her — someone with so much to offer the world — is a severe disservice to society, especially to her children.”
Michelle Horton Continues to Fight For Justice
From what we can tell, Michelle is still fighting for what she believes to be true justice, all the while serving as the legal guardian of both of Nikki’s children to the best of her abilities. The New Yorker actually also has a son of her own, meaning she’s essentially a single mother of three at the moment and is juggling every responsibility with the help of no one but herself. She does have a familial support system she can lean on from time to time, plus a GoFundMe page has long been set up to help her deal with the financial challenges, yet it’s primarily just her own active efforts that make a difference.
Coming to her professional standing, it appears as if Michelle used to serve as the founder, writer, and editor of Early Mama, but she’s now a social media specialist at Omega Institute for Holistic Studies. The freelance writer hence wears multiple hats at once at any given moment yet seems perfectly content with where her individual life is, which is all that matters in the long run for both herself and her family.
We should even mention that Michelle draws “inspiration from the incredible community of (mostly) women who have surrounded our family with love and support. I’m also continuously inspired by my spiritual teacher Tara Brach, whose meditation techniques have helped me navigate the stress and chaos around me.”
