'The system failed her': Family grieves as domestic violence murder trial starts

Decades of memories have become cloudier over the last two years for Nicole Bullock’s family.

Especially Tuesday, with her final moments being spoken out loud for the first time.

Tuesday was the first day of testimony in the trial for Bullock’s death. During opening statements, Assistant District Attorney Brooks Burgess Stone laid out the prosecution’s belief of what happened to Bullock.

“Nicole’s murder was a culmination of years of abuse she suffered at the defendant’s hands,” Burgess Stone said. “He intentionally hurt her over and over again.”

Burgess Stone said the defendant, Rodney Crawford, admitted to choking Bullock.

Crawford sat quietly in his chair on Tuesday while the state levied its accusations against him. It’s a seat that’s become familiar to Crawford.

Twice before, he’s sat in a seat similar, listening to accusations that would later become fact. In 2021 and 2022, he was convicted of assaulting Bullock.

And again in 2023, he was arrested for assaulting Bullock and violating a protective order. That was in January 2023.

Two months later, Bullock was dead.

“It’s devastating, man,” Jonathan Jackson, Bullock’s brother, said. “It’s a tragedy. I just feel like the system failed her.”

Beyond those powerful words, Jackson struggles to verbalize his emotions. It’s been two years, but time won’t heal these wounds.

“This has altered our life dramatically,” Jackson said. “Instead of coming to officials to provide direction or get some sense of a game plan, we’re planning her funeral. We’re trying to figure out who’s going to take her boys. That’s very difficult. What are we supposed to think or do?”

It leaves five boys without a mother.

Professionally, it’s something Jackson is familiar with. He works as a social worker in South Carolina. He’s had to step back his workload because of this. He can’t handle domestic violence cases anymore with his sister on his mind.

“This was too difficult for me,” Jackson said. “To sit in the living room and address the instances, when I’m dealing with it hit me directly, in my family.”

Trying to provide aid to families in need, while representing a system he’s lost some faith in.

“What’s the purpose of the order of protection if this still happened?” Jackson said. “I don’t understand.”

North Carolina sees record number of domestic violence murders in 2024

Jackson's plea is echoed time and time again by families of victims of domestic violence and survivors themselves.

“It clearly doesn’t work,” Jill Rohner said. “It didn’t work in my situation.”

Wednesday marks four months since Rohner’s boyfriend was killed by her ex-husband. Antonio Rodrigues died in a shootout with Raleigh police after arriving at Rohner’s home unannounced with a shotgun.

Rohner ran across a snow covered street barefoot to safety. Rodrigues shot and injured Raleigh police officer Max Gillick before being killed.

It was the end of a decade-plus of torment from Rodrigues. Rohner said she filed domestic violence protection orders [DVPO] every single year for 12 years. It’s process she’d like to see changed so no one has to go through what she’s still living with.

“A one-year [protective order] is OK for certain people,” Rohner said. “It can sort of resolve their issue. Somebody moves away or somebody just stops harassing somebody. But two years, you start to wonder and three years, maybe we should try something else?”

But it didn’t for her.

“Four years, five years, six years, seven years,” Rohner counted. “Eight years, nine years, 10 years, eleven years, 12 years and on probation for three years. It’s still just a piece of paper.”

North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation data shows that in 2024 there were:

· 155 domestic violence murders (a new record)

· Six of the victims had protective orders against their murderer

· Three of those orders were active at the time of the murder

Despite the lack of confidence in the system, survivor advocates urge people to still file DVPOs. They can open doors to even more protections from there.

“A DVPO can be more than a piece of paper,” Nisha Williams, Legal Director for the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence said. “It can increase the safety and also help the survivor separate from the abuser in an immediate situation versus having to go to court and litigate issues like needing someone to get out of the house so the survivor can stay there.”

Williams said it can enable survivors to have exclusive possession of a residence, even if they don’t own it, provide emergency custody of any minor children they share with an abuser or prohibit that abuser from accessing firearms. It can also help connect survivors with advocates like Williams and NCCADV to create a safety plan and really bolster what the DVPO is meant to do.

“They will, along with the survivor, help them plan out what are things that you need to do to make sure to keep yourself safe?” Williams said. “Like creating a special code word with a best friend. If I text, ‘I want pizza for dinner,’ they know that actually means, I’m in harm’s way. Having those relationships and established contacts with people that you know can keep you safe. That goes a long way with safety plans.”

The NCCADV website has an interactive map with every single one of the 100 counties, from Alamance to Yancey. Clicking on any one will open up a list of the local Domestic Violence Survivor advocacy groups around the corner.

Nicole Bullock’s brother urges domestic violence victims to take precautions

Jackson encourages anyone in a troubling relationship to take precautions. While he questions the efficacy of protective orders, he hopes people still do whatever they need to in order to protect themselves.

“Whatever kind of protection you need to ensure your safety and well-being, you need to do that,” Jackson said. “I don’t know what that looks like. It could vary between person to person, but you got to protect yourself because, at the end of the day, this is reality.”

It's a reality Jackson is facing this week, steps away from the courtroom, where he’s hoping to get justice for his sister’s death. While the man, twice convicted for assaults, sits in front of a jury of his peers on trial for murder.

“This could happen,” Jackson said. “Someone can take your life. So, protect yourself at all costs.”

NC domestic violence & sexual assault resources

If you or someone you know is a victim of domestic violence, you can call the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233 (SAFE). For county-by-county help, the North Carolina Coalition Against Domestic Violence has a list of resources at nccadv.org.