Sharing her sister’s story of survival from domestic abuse to prison to freedom

In late September 2017, police knocked on Michelle Horton’s door to tell her that her sister, Nikki, had just fatally shot her longtime boyfriend and the father of her children in their Poughkeepsie apartment, and she was now in jail. Michelle was left to raise Nikki’s two young children, all while seeking justice for her sister who hid years of abuse.

In February 2020, Nikki Addimando was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for shooting her abusive boyfriend Christopher Grover, despite claiming self-defense after years of enduring physical and sexual abuse. (Even the day before the shooting, the couple had been visited by Child Protective Services regarding his abuse.) In 2021, New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division rejected that initial sentence, and amended it to 7.5 years.

“This is why women don’t leave,” Nikki said at the sentencing. “They so often end up dead or where I’m standing – alive, but still not free.”

On January 4, 2024, Nikki was released under parole supervision from the Bedford Hills Correctional Facility and returned home to her two children. The sentencing was reduced after a landmark ruling under New York’s Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act that allows domestic violence survivors to apply for reduced sentences that take into account the context of their abuse.

This week, Nikki’s sister, Michelle Horton, will read from her new book, Dear Sister: A Memoir of Secrets, Survival and Unbreakable Bonds, as part of a book tour throughout the Hudson Valley:

February 1, 2024 at 6:30pm at the River Valley Arts Center, Wappingers Falls
February 3, 2024 at 2pm at the Garrison Institute in Garrison
February 15, 2024 at 5:30pm at Vassar College
February 25, 2024 at 1pm at Blue Fox Books, Walden
March 10, 2024 at 2pm with The Golden Notebook, Woodstock, location TBA

More info: https://westandwithnikki.com/dear-sister

If you or a loved one need help from an abusive relationship, text START to 88788 to contact the National Domestic Abuse Hotline or get in touch with the Grace Smith House in Poughkeepsie; their hotline is open 24/7: 845-471-3033. The Grace Smith House will also partner with local shelters to make sure your pets are also in a safe space: https://www.gracesmithhouse.org/what-we-do/resources.html

Sources: https://www.sullcrom.com/About/News-and-Events/Highlights/2024/January/Pro-Bono-Client-Nicole-Addimando-Released-Prison-Domestic-Violence-Survivors-Law

https://westandwithnikki.com

https://www.gracesmithhouse.org/what-we-do/resources.html