About Nikki Addimando
Nikki is a mother, sister, friend, and beloved member of her community in New York’s Hudson Valley. In September 2017, Nikki fatally shot her abusive partner in self-defense. The incident followed years of horrific physical abuse and sexual torture, which was documented by medical professionals, the police, her therapist, her midwife, and her friends.
In February 2020 Nikki was sentenced by Judge Edward T. McLoughlin to 19 years to life in prison. In 2021, the New York State Supreme Court’s Appellate Division powerfully rejected the “methodology, approach, application, and analysis” Judge McLoughlin applied to sentence Nikki and amended Nikki’s sentence to 7.5 years under The Domestic Violence Survivors’ Justice Act.
While a significant improvement, Nikki should not have spent a single day behind bars and should be released immediately. Her children, two and four when she was arrested, are now seven and nine. It is well past time that we stop criminalizing survival.
As Nikki said at her sentencing hearing, "I wish more than anything it ended another way. I wouldn't be in this courtroom right now, but I wouldn't be alive either. This is why women don't leave. They so often end up dead or where I'm standing — alive, but still not free."
Nikki is FREE!
On January 4th, 2024, Nikki was released from prison. She is reunited with her children and has been surrounded by loving friends and family that have welcomed her home.
If you would like to make a donation in support of her homecoming, you can do so HERE.
Thank you to all who have helped make this possible!
dear sister: a memoir of secrets, survival, and unbreakable bonds
While Nikki was facing a life sentence, her sister, Michelle, wrote a memoir about supporting Nikki during her incarceration, raising her young kids through family trauma, and launching a fight to bring Nikki home—squaring off against a criminal justice system seemingly designed to punish the entire family.
An Amazon Editor’s pick and a New York Times notable book, “Dear Sister” explores “the twin darknesses of private violence and carceral violence,” according to the Southern Review of Books. It’s also a story of resilience, deep injustice, life-sustaining community, and the unbreakable bond of family.
Order your copy of “Dear Sister” here or wherever you get your books.
Clemency for Nikki
UPDATE: Nearly 40,000 people signed Nikki’s clemency petition. After two years of asking Governor Hochul to #FreeNikki, we have shifted our focus to prepare for Nikki’s homecoming in 2024. To date, Governor Hochul has never responded to Nikki’s clemency petition.
To read more about Nikki’s abuse and injustice at the hands of our criminal justice system, see our FAQ here.
