Kriti Mehrotra
CBS’s ’48 Hours: The Case Against Nicole Addimando’ is an intriguing episode that examines the tale of a mother who fatally shot her live-in boyfriend but claimed to have acted in self-defense. On September 28, 2017, Chris Grover was found murdered in the home he shared with Nicole Addimando and their two kids in the town of Poughkeepsie, New York. And after thorough investigations, his girlfriend, who never once denied pulling the trigger, was charged with second-degree murder.
Who Is Nicole Addimando?
Nicole Addimando, a 2007 Franklin D. Roosevelt High School graduate, is described by her friends, family, and loved ones as a woman whose entire life revolved around her children. She was called a loving stay-at-home mother and a talented artist who pursued her passion on the side because she wanted to be ever-present with her son and daughter. In fact, her kind, caring, and bubbly nature even landed her the title of “most huggable” in her graduating class yearbook superlatives. But fast forward a few years, and she found herself in a position that no one could have ever imagined for her.
Nicole appeared happy in her relationship with Chris Grover in pictures. But after he passed away, she told the police that she suffered years of domestic violence at his hands, admitting that on September 28, she shot him after he threatened to kill her. Her friends and family were quick to rally around her as well, testifying that they saw bruises on her body, adding that she wore long sleeves and scarves even on the hottest days of summer because Chris had roughed her up. All this was backed by hospital records, photographs, and even a police officer expressing concern over e-mail.
But still, because Nicole had admitted to shooting Chris, and other pieces of evidence also pointed towards the act being intentional, she was arrested for his murder. After all, Chris’s electronics were destroyed, and his autopsy report determined that the bullet was fired from point-blank range, with the gun pressed directly onto his skin. Further investigations also revealed that Nicole had a history of toxic relationships, with a few of them even overlapping her involvement with Chris. Thus, despite everything, it could not be proved that all of Nicole’s abuse was sustained by Chris entirely.
Nicole Addimando Remains Imprisoned
Nicole Addimando went on trial for murder in 2019, where the prosecutors painted the picture of how she killed her boyfriend in cold blood, whereas the defense argued that it was merely the result of an act of self-defense. Nicole herself took to the stands and detailed the trauma she suffered, telling the jurors that Chris had been sexually abusing her for years, beating, burning, and tying her up for hours on end. Not only that, but she revealed that he had begun taping their acts and uploaded the videos to adult websites. “The same thing everyone in this courtroom misses about him, I loved too,” she said. “He was a great father…But he was different behind closed doors.”
In the end, in April 2019, Nicole was found guilty of criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree murder. And in February 2020, after a judge refused to sentence her under the Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act, she received 19 years to life behind bars. This act gives provision for a more lenient sentence for victims of abuse. When Nicole heard this, she shook the court by saying, “This is why women don’t leave. They so often end up dead or where I’m standing, alive, but still not free.” However, in July 2021, the New York Supreme Court’s Appellate Division reduced her sentence to 7½ years on the basis of the act upon appeal. Therefore, today, at the age of 34, Nicole is incarcerated at the maximum-security Bedford Hills Correctional Facility, where she’s expected to remain until her earliest possible parole hearing and subsequent release in August 2024.
Read More: Where Are Nichole and Chris’s Children Now?
