Oral arguments held in 2017 murder case appeal

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BROOKLYN – Nicole Addimando, sentenced to 19 years to life in prison for the 2017 murder of her boyfriend Christopher Grover, is appealing her conviction.  The oral arguments were virtually presented to four of the judges of the Appeals Court, Second Department, on Thursday morning.

Addimando, currently incarcerated in the women’s Bedford Hills Correctional Facility in Westchester, is having her appeal handled by the law firm of Sullivan and Cromwell in New York City, with Garrard Beeney presenting the argument.  The law firm is representing Addimando pro-bono (free) in the appeal even though they were not involved in the original trial.

Beeney argued that Addimando’s conviction was based on several flaws, beginning with the evidence presented to the grand jury.

The case was prosecuted by the Putnam County District Attorney’s Office in Poughkeepsie because of a conflict between the Dutchess DA and Addimando from a previous case.

Beeney argued in his appeal that Putnam County Assistant District Attorney Chana Krauss solicited testimony from a Town of Poughkeepsie Police detective in an improper manner. Beeney told the judges that the solicitation should be considered “monumental misconduct.”

A second part of the appeal presented by Beeney had to deal with evidence that was not allowed to be admitted during the trial.  A ruling by Dutchess County Court Judge Edward McLoughlin prevented Addimando’s defense team from identifying the site user’s name that posted pictures showing Addimando in sexually compromising positions including being tied up.  The pictures had been uploaded to a pornographic website by a user identified as “GroverRespect”, which the defense said was the username of the victim.  Beeney called the pictures “sadistic pornography.”  The pictures were a major foundation of Addimando’s defense which claimed that Grover was violent and sadistic.

Lastly, the appellant argued that Judge McLoughlin denied Addimando’s request under the 2019 New York Domestic Violence Survivors Justice Act (DVSJA) when considering sentencing.  The DVSJA allows for a judge to reduce the sentencing of a defendant if there is proof that the crime, in this case, the killing of Grover, is the result of domestic violence.  Addimando’s original defense team had argued strenuously that Grover abused Addimando sexually, physically, and emotionally before she shot him.

McLoughlin had denied the motion requesting leniency under the DVSJA and explained his ruling when he told Addimando that she could have left the relationship on multiple occasions.

The respondents in the appeal were represented by Larry Glasser, First Assistant Putnam County District Attorney.  When questioned by one of the judges about whether he thought the jury should have been able to consider the sexually violent pictures prior to sentencing, Glasser faulted Addimando’s lawyers, noting that they didn’t offer the evidence at sentencing.  Glasser also argued that Judge McLoughlin was correct in his sentencing under DVSJA, saying he “thoroughly applied the statute” when sentencing Addimando.

Decisions on appeals typically take three months.




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