The Case Against Nicole Addimando | Full Episode | Forensic Files

foreign was afraid for her life I mean I was constantly afraid for her life I messaged her every morning to see if she
was still alive [Music] my phone rang and it was a little after two in the morning
and it's Nikki you sounded so scared [Music] better than anybody else in this world
knew how dangerous he was at that moment what's his name she had been asking him sort of
throughout the night you know just let us leave just let me leave with the kids I'm not going anywhere I'm not leaving
pulled a gun out of the couch and said he would kill her I need him and when she did that the gun fell to the floor
picked it up and you said you wouldn't do it Nick you didn't attempt to evade the
police and didn't hide the fact that she shot him self [Music] [Music] Nikki is the most gentle loving friend we've ever
had everything she does is for her kids in hindsight it's so easy to connect the dots
[Music] there were so many instances where I would notice a bruise she attributed to playing with the kids
in some kind of accident we had medical documents demonstrating physical injuries
there were many people who saw her with black eyes with bruises injuries on her face or on her neck I had bite marks on
her back burn marks well if that's true as a prosecutor it's my obligation to investigate it
anyone who knew Chris was there to support him he was my gymnastics coach he always
made us feel safe my son never hurt anybody he lived for Nikki he lived for those
kids he was a gentle soul who was full of life and she took it she was a very good actress to take a
few deep breaths okay we know that it's not popular to say that a woman who's claiming domestic
violence is lying it's not popular to say that she was self-inflicting injuries you believe the people who were
supporting Nikki adamando were manipulated by her I don't believe Chris ever abused her
she intentionally planned and murdered him when he was sleeping foreign [Music] [Music]
at 2 A.M on September 28 2017 police officer Richard Sicily encountered a car stopped at a red light the light turned
green and when the car didn't move officer Cecily says he tooted an air horn to get the driver's attention
what happened next stunned him okay just take a few deep breaths an agitated young mother named Nicole
ottomando in stocking feet told him something had gone terribly wrong at home couch
[Music] she said she'd been abused had tried to leave and her boyfriend had a gun so I
picked it up and he said he wouldn't do it police officer Cecilia I think is in shock that this is unfolding before him
Putnam County chief assistant district attorney Hannah Krause would soon be investigating Nikki's story he doesn't
know if there's an ambulance that's necessary there are two children in the car Nikki had called a friend seen here
on the police dash cam video the friend Elizabeth Clifton pulls up and officers ask her to wait in a nearby parking lot
I watched Police emergency vehicles going buddy that the ambulance went back the other
way and it didn't have its lights on so I was afraid I was afraid of what had happened
the officers went to Nikki's apartment and found her partner Chris Grover who appeared to be sleeping on the couch
dead with a single gunshot to the Head they found the shower running and a broken laptop in the bathtub
they brought Nikki to the police station where she was interrogated by detectives
and Elizabeth learned Chris was dead I never in a million years had a fear that he would die I was
afraid she would die every day not long afterward Gail Grover got a heartbreaking visit from the sheriff
he told us that Chris had passed and my first question was are Nikki and the kids okay
that right there tells you we had no clue no clue says Gail that anything was amiss in her son's life she describes
Chris as kind and athletic he had a black belt in Taekwondo and was head gymnastics coach at Mr Todd's Gym
in Poughkeepsie Beth Weyland coached with him there he was just always so happy and full of
energy I mean he was like a rocket running around the gym he was a huge kid at heart huge kid and that's where in
2008 he met a pretty young coach named Nicole adamando he was 21 she was 19. soon they began dating
in 2012 they moved in together and announced Nikki was expecting their first child son Ben
was he excited about being absolutely ecstatic he was a proud papa Chris a talented amateur videographer
made this video for Nikki which he called becoming mom two years later daughter Faye came along
those kids were everything to him and to Nikki too Gail says Nikki was an excellent mom
Elizabeth Clifton taught a mommy and me music class Nikki attended with Ben one time she came to class with what
looked to me like a black eye she covered herself completely and even in the summer she'd be wearing long sleeves
long pants have a scarf covering around her neck Nikki's childhood friends Laura mokadanu
and Rachel Hawks also noticed injuries but didn't press her I would notice a bruise you know
she would often say you know oh I was playing with Ben and I got hit by his guitar you know it was always something
that to me at the time seemed very it was plausible plausible I didn't think twice about it
then one day a mom from the gym where Chris coached heard about Nikki's injuries she'd seen Chris lose his
temper in the past with young gymnasts in his class concerned she made an anonymous report to Child Protective
Services or CPS as required by law CPS visited Nikki and Chris's apartment before long Chris was
dead and Nikki was trying to explain why chased me and then he looked up for a second and I
think she thought she got them to believe that she had acted out in self-defense as opposed to intentionally
killed Chris Grover it's like I think obviously self-century I think she thought she was going
home but Nikki did not go home that night instead she was charged with second-degree murder and Chris's death
what did you think when they charged Nikki with murder I was heartbroken [Music]
a few weeks after Chris Grover's death friends family and former students like Michaela Hughes he always said let's go
kid gathered to release balloons in his honor [Applause] it felt really nice to know that like I
wasn't alone supporters of Nikki adamando were reeling too her arrest for Chris's murder prompted
an outcry from friends family and advocates for victims of domestic violence for choosing to defend herself and
survive Nikki may spend the next 20 years to life in prison Elizabeth Clifton began organizing rallies and
fundraisers and also reliving the years of Terror she says she went through with Nikki
beginning in April of 2016 when she decided to confront Nikki about her injuries
and I said to her that I'm really scared for you and I I'm worried that you're not safe at home
Elizabeth says Nikki reluctantly admitted her partner Chris was abusing her it wasn't like floodgates I would
say a slight trickle of acknowledging that yes this was happening Nikki's case stood out to me because of
the level of violence that was involved Rachel Louise Snyder is a journalist who
spent 10 years studying domestic violence for a book called no visible bruises as part of her research on
Nikki's case for a New Yorker article she read the full court record and interviewed dozens of people
he says Nikki alleged Chris forced himself on her sexually but didn't become violent until after son Ben was
born and he slammed her head into the door frame of Ben's room and then raped her
it happened again said Nikki almost two years later when she was pregnant with Faye she sought medical attention here
at Vassar Brothers Hospital in Poughkeepsie and a couple of days later she was standing in the kitchen making eggs for
Ben and Chris allegedly came in and said you better be making some for me and she
said yes sir pretty sarcastically he forced her to the ground and took a spoon and held it into the gas flame
and burned her all over her body with it again Nikki sought medical attention the
report from the exam States assailant named Chris heated up a metal utensil on the gas stove and burned Nikki in
multiple areas of her body he was as far as I understand tying her up you know I remember seeing
the marks around her neck and wrists and what he was doing was raping her Nikki feared Chris was videotaping the
encounters Elizabeth says she and Nikki's therapist pushed Nikki to press charges multiple people in fact tried to
get her to file police reports and she was just petrified she said that Chris would tell her that
nobody would believe her and she doesn't want her kids taken away from her she knew she was in danger
Elizabeth tried to help Nikki leave and in the summer of 2016 Nikki did pack the
kids in the car and drive over to Elizabeth's house one of the hardest things I've ever
experienced is that she would come and she'd drive and she'd slow down and then and then go again
she saw Nikki drive past her house over and over again for hours and she was on the phone saying can't just come in just
come in the front door and Nikki just couldn't do it and that's what a domestic violence
victim leaving looks like it looks like a series of false starts in this mindset her Terror of him is
stronger than her belief that the system will save her [Music] in 2017 just months before Chris died
Nikki sought medical help three times from a midwife who noted multiple injuries in May rope-like Burns States
Chris has a gun and uses it in my body in June Volva swollen looks inside out in August bruised and bleeding Chris at
gunpoint raped her and then in September came that Anonymous call to Child Protective
Services CPS called Nikki and Chris and said we're going to come by and interview you
tomorrow suddenly there were outside eyes on them Nikki said Chris left the day with a
bat of abuse presumably to get rid of it the next day CPS conducted its home visit
afterwards Chris went to work and came home that night in a quiet mood at one point Nikki said he called her into the
bedroom where he was loading his gun and he wants her to try to load it and he gives her a bullet and apparently
she's shaking according to Nikki she later took a shower and at some point Chris threw the
laptop in the tub she said he forced her to have sex with him on the couch but was unusually gentle
and if you are a domestic violence victim and someone who is usually very violent with you is suddenly gentle
you're going to get that message you're going to understand immediately that that is a goodbye
Mickey said she lay for a while on top of Chris and believed he was asleep when she tried to get up he pulled the gun
from behind the couch cushions Nikki said she got the gun away and pointed it at him she said he laughed at her and
then he said here's what's going to happen you're going to give me the gun and I'm going to kill you and then I'm
going to kill myself and the kids are going to have no one and she said she just lunged and shot
him in the head Nikki support that night was simple either kill or be killed [Music]
in March of 2019 Nikki adamando out on bail at the time went on trial for the murder of her partner Chris Grover
friends and Advocates wearing purple the color for victims of domestic violence lined up in support
they stood side by side with Loyal Chris supporters heartbroken to learn Nikki's
defense would hinge on allegations that he abused her what do you want people to know
Chris didn't do this my son never hurt anybody and that's the bottom line not allowed inside the courtroom here at
the Dutchess County Courthouse in Poughkeepsie prosecutors argued that Nikki painted herself as a victim but
that her allegations of abuse were untrue she was not the victim in this case Chris was the victim in this case
and that became very very apparent prosecutor Hannah Krause has spent much of her career advocating for victims of
sexual violence Krause told jurors the physical evidence was overwhelming starting with the fact
that Chris was killed with a direct contact wound to the Head the medical examiner testified that the muzzle of
the gun that was imprinted in Chris's head meant it was embedded in his head when she pulled the trigger
Krauss said Nikki not Chris threw the laptop in the tub in an attempt to make it look like Chris had evidence to hide
she didn't expect the laptop to be recovered in a way that we could still examine it and determined that there was
absolutely no evidence of abuse on that laptop and Krauss presented a series of texts Nikki sent Chris just days before
he died calling him a man-child and asking WTF is wrong with you are you this stupid she was the one who was
abusing him in these messages when they communicated throughout the day then there were internet searches on Chris's
phone the night he died Krause believes Nikki made them if you shoot someone in their sleep will
the police know 15 minutes of searches that are a road map to exactly how he was murdered
even more damning was a text Nikki sent a friend six weeks earlier I haven't figured out a way to kill him without
being caught so I'm still here Nikki punctuated the text with a Grimace Emoji which her lawyers say clearly shows she
was joking yet several weeks later he was dead so that's quite a coincidence Krauss acknowledges Nikki had a
traumatic experience when she was just five years old Nikki was raped on a sleepover at a friend's house the rape
was witnessed by another child Nikki didn't tell anyone at the time but her friends say it had a lasting impact so
if we wanted to have sleepovers Nikki we would always go and sleep at her home she never ever
slept at one of our houses Nikki said the assault made her uncomfortable with sex as an adult which
she confided to Chris when they began dating for about a year they didn't become intimate because he cared so much
about her and that was who he was he never changed Chris didn't change says Krauss but
Niggy grew into someone who invented stories of abuse she never reported these allegations to police but the
story Spilled Out over the years to friends and therapists Krause told the jurors these accusations
began before Nikki met Chris when she accused an ex-boyfriend of assaulting her what are they going to think if she
alleges every relationship she ever had was non-consensual would they believe what she said about Chris
a few years after she began dating Chris nearly a decade ago Nikki told a therapist that a maintenance worker at
her mother's apartment complex raped her Nikki later said her memories of the time were unclear and she wasn't sure
which abuse was by the maintenance worker or Chris how do you not remember which abuse was
by the maintenance worker and which abuse was by your partner around the same time Nikki met a married police
officer who invited her to become a live-in babysitter with his family he was the parent of a child who was
coached by the defendant at one point Chris Grover as well Krause says they began a relationship
that lasted several years including after Nikki lived with Chris and was pregnant with Ben Nikki said the married
police officer also forced himself on her sexually there were so many other men so
which one was she talking about Nikki supporters insist these aren't false allegations they are true an
author Rachel Louise Snyder says child victims of assault often grow up to become victims again the fact that Nikki
was assaulted when she was five years old means that as an adult she's put into a much higher risk category in fact
it would make her two-thirds more likely to be victimized as an adult but prosecutor Krauss told the jurors
that in Nikki's case there is proof her allegations were false and that her injuries often had an
innocent explanation the bruise on the eye was from Ben hitting her in the eye with a guitar
not rocket science it was witnessed seeing Ben hit her with it the medical records weren't clear-cut
either according to Krause including that first visit Nikki paid to this hospital when she was pregnant with Faye
and was asked a series of questions to which she answered no is abuse inflicted with tools no are do you have Burns or
does he burn you no Krause says it wasn't until Nikki returned a few days later that a nurse noted those Burns
so what do you think that means I think she decided to go back a second time and
be able to answer yes to every single one of those questions what she was saying was happening was completely
inconsistent with the evidence we were finding as our investigation went on and so Nikki faced a huge risk that day when
CPS came calling says Krauss her inventions of abuse would be exposed to Krause that was Nikki's motive for
Murder She was concerned that child protective services would know this manipulated history that she put out
there was not truthful and that she might lose her children when seen in this light Krauss argued
Nikki's story of what happened the night Chris died quickly unravels the pretty young mother eliciting sympathy was
never what she seemed I think people need to understand what really happened here and what really
happened here Chris Grover was asleep when she killed him that's what happened here
[Music] see more photos from the case on Facebook at 48 hours [Music] it was time for attorneys John and
Gracia and Ben Oster to present the defense case and Nikki adamando's murder trial they say she lived in constant
danger and believed she would die the night Chris Grover died you have a woman with no prior History of Violence no
prior criminal history at all we know that too often women who have sought help end up in a body bag that was what she
was confronted with on that evening the lawyers would need to convince a jury that Nikki acted in self-defense
and shot Chris to save her own life so they called witnesses to corroborate Nikki's claim that she was brutally
abused by Chris for years there were psychologists nurse midwives who were fearful of the abuse that Nikki was
undergoing there was a police officer testified in our trial he was ready to send police officers to effect an
arrest they produced photo s documenting Nikki's injuries and argued that Nikki's wounds could not
have been self-inflicted Burns to the face the point of leaving a blister Burns to the breast
she had bite marks on her shoulder blades you can't reach your own shoulder blades what about the bite marks on her
neck on her back places that she couldn't reach how do you know if any of those injuries actually came from Chris
and not one of the other individuals that she was claiming she was involved in a relationship with
but Nikki's lawyers say the other men brought up by the prosecution were an attempt to create confusion and that
Nikki hadn't had sexual relations with anyone but Chris for years before his death
so that kind of fog that they created was shaming Nikki in a way and it's not relevant to the case of whether Mr
Grover was victimizing her with intimate partner violence they insisted the aggressive texts Nikki
sent Chris were ways to stick up for herself and said she paid for them afterwards when Chris hit her it's not
uncommon for people to use words to fight back the lawyers reminded the jurors that the
internet searches about how to kill someone who is sleeping they were made on Chris's phone with no evidence that
Nikki made them and the medical examiner testified there was no proof Chris was sleeping Dr Newman said it could have
happened exactly the way Nikki said it happened they called Nikki herself to the stand
so the jurors could hear from her directly what did you tell her day one day two to tell the truth
just to tell the truth the truth never changes and Nikki's story did not change visibly shaken and sometimes in tears
Nikki told the court that Chris lashed out when he felt disrespected beat her raped her choked her and left her tied
up for hours [Music] for Laura mokadanu watching her friend testify was heartbreaking it was three
full days of her up there being interrogated and having to relive the trauma that she
experienced Nikki told the jurors that after Faye was born Chris began watching pornography constantly and would try to
recreate the porn with Nikki Nikki's attorneys presented photos most too graphic to show which Nikki claimed
Chris posted without her consent on PornHub a pornographic video sharing website the videos had keywords like
found in pound or break a [ __ ] or it just really ugly disrespectful language the juror saw the photographs but they
didn't see the ugly words or the information on the post about the user who uploaded the images
someone called Grover respect who like Chris Grover described himself as a 29 year old cinematographer who loved
martial arts the judge ruled there was no way to prove Chris created it Grover respect was who posted
the PornHub videos which were clearly our client there was other evidence jurors did not see including the full
medical report from 2014 and these Midwife exams documenting injuries the summer before Chris died in some ways
her case was cut off at the knees from the start it's not uncommon for some evidence to be excluded at a murder
trial and prosecutor Hannah Krause believes this was excluded for good reason she argued that Nikki may have
made the porn herself there is no way to identify a man in the photos and it wasn't rape does that look like someone
is taking part in a consensual Act I believe that was consensual with Nikki absolutely
Nikki's testimony may not have changed many Minds she would say one thing and then in the next breath she was saying
something else right on the stand you could see that it wasn't the truth music teacher Elizabeth Clifton did
testify for Nikki's defense but wasn't asked about everything she'd seen including one day in 2016 when Nikki
said she was having a miscarriage the amount of blood just like puddles of Blood on the floor
and her clothing stained Elizabeth believes Chris's abuse caused the miscarriage and says Nikki was afraid to
go see a doctor because Chris would get angry I witnessed her suffer through a horrible painful
where she was almost unable to speak because she was in so much pain miscarriage because she was afraid to
go to the hospital Laura did not testify at the trial but this photo of Nikki in a bridesmaid's
dress at Laura's wedding was a defense exhibit to document a burn on Nikki's chest Laura says it's an example of how
the prosecution and not Nikki manipulated the story and she has what I believe was a burn mark from a curling
iron because her hair was clearly just curled Nikki's hair was just curled says Laura because the bridal party had just
gone to the hair salon together she says the Mark was big and oval shaped and was
old and already healing when they got to the salon it was a burn mark from a heated metal spoon
there was no question after 14 days of testimony the case finally went to the jurors who would
have to decide was Nikki adamando a terrified victim or a manipulative liar after three days of deliberations
finally a verdant a jury of eight women and four men rejected Nikki adomondo's claim of
self-defense and convicted her of criminal possession of a weapon and second-degree murder
looks like getting punched in the stomach really hard this for her was the worst possible verdict it was traumatic
she's so tiny and she's sitting there and people thinking she's a criminal and I
just wanted to hug her [Music] Chris Grover's family and friends found some comfort at last
thank God somebody was listening and for once a little bit of relief because they had drugged Christopher's
name through the mud so bad and turned him into this monster that he was not did you feel Vindicated
no this is never about me I felt happy for Chris's family they got to the point where they heard the jury say guilty but
the case wasn't over yet under an updated New York state law the domestic violence survivors Justice act Nikki was
entitled to another day in court a hearing where her claims of domestic violence might be factored in to reduce
her sentence I wrote a letter to the judge explicitly saying like these are these are the situations in which it was
specifically clear to me that it was Christopher Grover who was hurting her judge Edward McLaughlin who also
presided over Nikki's murder trial heard from other Witnesses and from the prosecutors who argued that Nikki wasn't
a real victim had access to services and she could have left Chris at any time including the day he died
she had a car she had the means to leave if she was concerned if any of this were
truthful she had the whole day to leave but author Rachel Louise Snyder does believe Nikki and says expecting a
victim of domestic violence to leave is misguided absolutely you're most likely to die leaving
the research points to that over and over and over Snyder says Nikki did Avail herself of
services but especially with two very young children at home she couldn't figure out how to get out alive
fact on the night Chris died Nikki told the police officers that she asked Chris
to let her go at least 17 times and she said let me leave and I won't tell anyone
with anything else and Nikki repeated that he said you're not leaving I tried to leave
I represented a young woman who left 11 months later she was killed leaving doesn't protect you and leaving
isn't the answer what about the research that shows women who try to leave they're more likely to be harmed I don't
dispute that at all I just don't believe she was a victim here I believe that she
created all of this in a 47-page ruling released in February of 2020 the judge essentially sided with
the prosecution saying Nikki was only steps from her front door the night Chris died and could have left
he also said her inconsistent statements about past abuse made it impossible to know the identity of her abuser he
denied Nikki's request for a lighter sentence the reasons basically boiled down to she could have just left
and who knows who was abusing her Nikki supporters insist they know exactly who was abusing her
Chris Chris Grover like his name is in those documents and those documents were submitted to the judge and his name is
there over and over and over again but to this day Chris's friends and former students defend the man they knew
everybody loved Chris he would go above and beyond for everyone you never saw him get upset you never saw him get mad
at the gym he always made us feel safe and I don't believe that he was ever capable of like any type of harm
[Music] someone can be a wonderful person in a lot of situations and still be an abuser
in the same way that someone can be a wonderful person and still be a victim on February 11th Nikki supporters
gathered once again outside the Poughkeepsie Courthouse this time for her sentencing hearing
the system didn't get along the system got it right we need to make sure that other real victims that are out there
true victims of domestic violence understand that we are there to help you get out safely
to prosecutor Hannah Krause they are sending a dangerous message I think she manipulated them I think she was
manipulating everybody around her look she she may very well be manipulative I I have no idea right but was she the
victim of sustained and extremely severe abuse yes absolutely no doubt in my mind
Nikki was sentenced to 19 years to life in prison the grover family is now focused on the kids Ben and Faye live
with Nikki's relatives and spend weekends with the Grovers that's what means the world right now
those kids Nikki Drew these pictures of herself with her children while in jail to many the outcome of her trial was
exactly what she feared all along that no one would believe her [Music] if you don't believe that a woman was
victimized based upon the proof that we had here then what happens when you don't have
visible bruises I'd like to imagine there's a day someday when she'll be free but right now but right now that feels
very distant Nikki supporters continue to raise money to help defray her legal expenses
[Music] [Music] I will rescue you I will an appeals court found that Nicole aramando should have qualified
for a reduced sentence under the domestic violence survivors Justice act and reduced her sentence to 7.5 years if
you or a loved one or a victim of domestic violence call the National Domestic Violence Hotline
1-800-799-7233 this is by far the worst thing I have seen victim was Jacqueline Van de Graaff
a chance Encounter of vicious murder was it because she resembled the Killer's ex
how he was stalking me was completely related to Jackie vandergriff's death 48 hours Saturday at 10 9 Central on CBS

A young mother shoots her partner claiming self-defense and abuse. The killing of the popular gymnastics coach divides a town. CBS News correspondent Jericka Duncan reports for "48 Hours." Watch more full episodes of "48 Hours" on Pluto TV.

Crime. Social justice. Impact. "48 Hours" investigates the most intriguing crime and justice cases that touch on all areas of the human experience including greed and passion. "48 Hours," which premiered in 1988, has developed a rich history of original reporting and impact journalism that has helped exonerate wrongly convicted people, caused cold cases to be reopened and solved, and along the way changed lives.

Brief Summary

Nikki Adamando was convicted of murdering her partner Chris Grover amid claims of domestic abuse and a contentious trial.

Key points

Nikki's Fear for Her Life. Nikki lived in constant fear of her partner, Chris, leading to a tragic confrontation.
The Night Chris Died. Nikki shot Chris while he was asleep, claiming self-defense amid years of abuse.
Trial for Murder. Nikki's trial revealed conflicting narratives of abuse and self-defense.
Nikki's Testimony. Nikki recounts the abuse she suffered at the hands of Chris Grover.
Verdict Reached. After three days of deliberation, the jury convicted Nikki of murder.
Appeals Court Ruling. An appeals court found Nikki should have qualified for a reduced sentence.

Episode highlights

Episode quotes

you sounded so scared.

0:35WatchAug 8, 2023

Tension

75/ 100High tension

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