Cleveland Journalist Killed by Her Uncle in Murder-Suicide, Police 'Trying to Figure Out Why'

Photo: Facebook

Both were found dead in the same room of the uncle’s trailer, says Gezarek. Delamotte was shot twice in the torso and once in the head, he adds.

Delamotte, the author of the 2016 book100 Things To Do in Cleveland Before You Die, wrote for Cleveland.com, which provides content toThe Plain Dealernewspaper.

Gezarek said police don’t have a motive for the violence — “We are trying to figure out why,” he says — and don’t know when, exactly, it took place.

The pair had arranged to watch the Miami Dolphins vs. Green Bay Packers football game together at a bar, says Gezarek. Delamotte arrived at her uncle’s trailer at 4:16 p.m. on Sunday and was killed there before the pair left the trailer, police believe. Surveillance video recovered from the residence showed nobody entered or left during that time frame, leading police to believe it was a murder-suicide.

Nicole Delamotte.GoFundMe

According to thePlain Dealer, her mother, JoAnne Ullman, said Nikki and Robert had recently reconnected after the death of her maternal grandmother and planned to watch the game together.

“So she was going [to] go over and they were going go to some neighborhood bar and watch the game,” Ullman said.

When Delamotte didn’t return a text message from her mother later that night, Ullman filed a missing person report. Ullman told the paper she went to the trailer and discovered her daughter’s car with her cell phone and wallet inside. Once police arrived, she was told that the pair was dead.

Delamotte was known for writing about Cleveland’s diverse communities, including its artists and musicians. Her last feature focused on a Latino supermarket that expanded its in-store restaurant. In another story, she delved into mental health and addiction issues in Northeast Ohio’s restaurant and service industries.

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She was also a favorite among her colleagues.

“What I appreciated most were the unique perspectives she brought to brainstorm sessions — her ability to make me see things I would not have considered otherwise,” Cleveland.com editor Chris Quinn said, according to the paper. “She had strong positions and backed down from no one, but she did so with gentleness and, always, respect. She was such a bright light, and Cleveland has a dimmer future for her loss.”

“I’ve never met a journalist with a kinder heart,” Cleveland.com entertainment editor Mike Norman said.

“I’ve never met anyone with as much empathy as Nikki, and I wanted to be more like her,” entertainment reporter Anne Nickoloff said. “I still want to be more like her.”

Before she joined Cleveland.com in 2016, Delamotte wrote forCleveland Scene, an alternative weekly newspaper.

A GoFundMe pagehas been launched in support of Nikki Delamotte’s loved ones.

source: people.com