A Georgia woman was shot by her boyfriend back in 2017 and did not realize for over a month until her friend took her to the doctor, according to multiple reports.
Medical staff discovered that Nicole Gordon, 42, had a bullet lodged in the rear of her skull, at which point the medical staff contacted the Atlanta Police Department, according to a media release from the Office of the Fulton County District Attorney.
Authorities put out an arrest warrant for Gordon’s boyfriend, Jerrontae Cain, 39, back in 2017, and he was caught in January 2019. He was sentenced to 30 years, 25 of which will be spent in prison, and the last five on probation, according to the media release.
Medical officials decided not to remove the bullet in her skull as doing so may kill her, according to the media release.
According to the Atlanta Journal-Constitution, Gordon was arguing with Cain when she heard glass shatter and shortly following that, she passed out. When she came to, she found herself in her boyfriend’s car on her way to Cain’s mother’s home, where she was cared for.
Gordon did not remember getting shot, and thought that she only had been injured by broken glass, the news outlet reported. During her month long stay at Cain’s mother’s home, she suffered severe headaches, memory loss, and had trouble communicating, according to Atlanta Journal-Constitution. This went on for over a month before a friend took Gordon to the hospital.
In the media release from the Fulton District Attorney’s Office, between the time Cain shot Gordon and her doctor visit, Gordon was said to not have received any care from a professional.
Police interviewed Cain who said he had been there during the incident. Cain told authorities that Gordon had crashed into a tree while driving, which resulted in the broken glass and her injury, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. However, police found Cain’s explanation to be inconsistent with their findings from the doctors.
“The crime scene proved to be inconsistent with Cain’s explanation,” the media release read. “And doctors determined that the injuries Gordon suffered were consistent with being shot in the head.”
Authorities issued an arrest warrant for Cain back in 2017, and in February 2018 they asked for the public’s help in finding Cain. FBI spokesman Kevin Rowson said that CrimeStoppers received a tip which led the police to locate and apprehend Cain at his College Park home.
“Cain was taken into custody…at an address on Aspen Avenue in College Park. When agents and task force officers approached the house, Cain climbed into the attic of the home,” Rowson said, Atlanta Journal-Constitution reported. “The FBI Atlanta SWAT team was called in and after a couple of hours, Cain surrendered without further incidents.”
During Cain’s trial, Gordon’s friends testified against him and said that he used to abuse her in the past, often leaving Gordon with bruises and black eyes, according to the media release.
Following the trial, Cain was convicted of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon, aggravated battery, possession of a firearm during the commission of a felony, and possession of a firearm by a convicted felon, the media release reported.
