A mom of five was killed Sunday in a Durham, North Carolina, hotel room allegedly by a man she was trying to stay away from. Nicole Bullock, 29, reportedly lived a life plagued by violence and abuse at the hands of 33-year-old Rodney Crawford. The couple was together at a Sonesta Select hotel in Durham when Crawford allegedly killed Bullock. He claims he never intended for it to happen.
Crawford told investigators that Bullock invited him to the hotel on Residence Inn Boulevard near Apex Highway on March 5, WRAL reported. According to Crawford, the pair argued over a cellphone and a "tussle" began. He reportedly called 911 and said Bullock had suffered a heart attack. Police arrested Crawford after their initial investigation, and he's been charged with murder.
Crawford and Bullock had a history of brutal violence.
Court documents obtained by WRAL give insight into the couple's past. Crawford reportedly attacked Bullock in May 2021 in front of one of her children, and she requested — and was granted — a protection order against him. But that was not the beginning of their issues.
The couple's violent history dates back to at least 2014, when Crawford allegedly attacked Bullock in Jersey City, New Jersey, according to court documents obtained at the time by NJ.com. She was reportedly sleeping in a bed with her then 5-month-old when the alleged assault occurred.
In the 2014 case, Crawford entered the home with his own keys.
Crawford entered a home on July 22, 2014, around 4 a.m. and allegedly began to argue with Bullock, according to a police report obtained by NJ.com. He reportedly punched her several times in the face before she could break free.
She ran to the bathroom to hide, and Crawford allegedly broke the door down and continued the attack. When he left, Bullock called 911 and Crawford was arrested, but he posted a $1,500 bond the same day. Authorities granted Bullock a temporary restraining order.
Even when she was pregnant with his child, Crawford was allegedly still abusive to Bullock.
In her motion for a protection order, Bullock's handwritten request describes a time when Crawford allegedly beat her while she was pregnant. She wrote that he hit her face so hard, "every time my eye would come in contact with light, my eye would hurt so bad," WRAL reported.
Other documents obtained by WRAL state that Crawford followed her home on another occasion and allegedly grabbed her by her hair and dragged her. He also reportedly head-butted her, punched her, and cut off her hair with scissors. She simply wrote, "I am afraid of what he may do next."
Bullock's family says a protection order was in place against Crawford at the time of her murder.
Lakisha Polite, Bullock's sister, told WRAL that Bullock had a restraining order against Crawford when she died. According to Polite, he broke the order when he smashed windows at Bullock's home. Bullock's family doesn't think that a restraining order was enough.
They believe that if Crawford had been in prison for the previous assaults, their sister would be alive. "I feel like the system failed her," Polite said, according to the news outlet. "She wasn't protected at all."
Bullock was a mother of five sons, 2 to 13 years old. Her family plans to raise her children. Her sister, Tyquanna Bullock, created a GoFundMe account to raise money to support her nephews.
A lawyer who helped Bullock doesn't think enough protections exist for domestic abuse victims.
Corey Frost, a lawyer with Legal Aid of North Carolina, helped Bullock with her protection order. He told WRAL that because of barriers in the justice system, Bullock had difficulties getting the protection she needed to help escape her alleged abuser.
"My hope is that her death is a reminder or wakeup call to folks in the community about how difficult it is for victims of domestic violence to leave abusive relationships," he said. "The kinds of barriers that often stand in their way, and how high the stakes are. What can happen if we don't try to make it a little easier for people to escape."
Polite said she didn't know much about Crawford, but one thing is certain: "I just know he's a monster that took my sister away from me," she said, according to WRAL.
Crawford was being held in Durham County Jail with no bond.
If you or someone you know has been the victim of domestic abuse, you can find help and support at DVIS.org, the National Domestic Violence Hotline at 1-800-799-7233, or by contacting your local women's shelter (domesticshelters.org).
