Mixed Nuts Represent Us!!!
By: Tommy “Tj” Sotomayor

https://youtu.be/voq4Bz_W-lY

Birmingham domestic violence survivor carries a bullet in her brain, wants others to know they are not alone, and wants to encourage others

Melody Megginson remembers very little about May 18, 2019, but it was a night that changed her forever.

One minute, the Birmingham 24-year-old mother was at home with her two sons, one just 6-weeks- old, while her boyfriend was attempting to rob her at gunpoint into his vehicle.

Melody Megginson, 26, was shot in the head in 2019 by her boyfriend. Against all odds, she survived and wants others to be aware of domestic violence warning signs.

Megginson, who was found covered in blood behind an east Birmingham home, was discovered unresponsive from a bullet to her brain with fewer chances of survival, according to doctors.

Megginson has survived a coma, 13 surgeries, and has successfully fought to regain custody of her two sons more than two years later.

Because October is National Domestic Violence Awareness Month, and Megginson hopes to one day work with victims, she is speaking out about her ordeal.

I just want people to know to look at the red flags. Just because hes not beating you up every day, that doesnt mean something like that canT Happen, Megginson said.

Megginson, a native of Oregon, moved to Birmingham several years ago to get to know her fathers side of the family. It wasnt long before she met John Nealy III, became romantically involved and then became pregnant with her second child.

Nealy, 38, was arrested on a capital murder charge in connection with alleged killing of another man in east Birmingham on Aug. 9, 2016. He was released from prison on electronic surveillance.

Nealy is facing a capital murder charge, according to Megginson, and he had lied to her about the charges against him.

His electronic monitoring had previously been modified to allow him to go to work at a new firm he had purchased. In April 2019, his lawyer requested that the monitoring be stopped so that Nealy could continue to look after his father after a surgery.

Nealy was resigned from electronic monitoring on May 15, 2019, since he had not had any violations since the monitoring began.

Jayson Megginson had given birth to their son, Jay, on April 4. Though she and Nealy didn’t live together, they had been together since the birth. I was just trying to do what was right and be a family, she said.

Megginson was shot three days later.

The last thing I remember is him forcing me in the car at gunpoint and going down the street, and then everything went blank, she said. I woke up in the hospital.

The incident took place at 10:16 p.m. on Saturday, when police were called to a report of an unresponsive woman in the 7000 block of Fourth Avenue South in Birmingham. When police arrived, John Nealy Jr. and a neighbor were in front of the house, using flashlights to alert them.

Megginson was found behind a truck, completely covered in blood, the officer wrote in his field report. The officer said he had no idea who she was at that moment. The female was not responsive, but I could tell that she was breathing, the officer wrote.

Megginson was transported to the University of Alabama at Birmingham Fire and Rescue Service for treatment.

John Nealy Jr. told police the truck he owned was his son.

When asked about the victim, the witness claims that she must have climbed into the truck, the officer wrote. The witness stated that he heard the woman yelling for a while before stepping outside to look and saw her in the back of the truck. The witness stated he had no idea why she was in his backyard.

Police discovered a trail of blood from the street up into the yard, and then blood underneath the vehicle at the end of the driveway where it was parked. Police also discovered blood droplets in the roadway on Fourth Ave. On the western side of Oporto-Madrid Boulevard, it is located on the South side.

According to the officer’s report, it became apparent that the victim had been driven in a vehicle to his home.

Another witness told police that a friend of hers was behind ‘a Chevrolet Tahoe’ and saw an altercation, heard what he believed was sarin, and asked officers to check the area of 74th Street and Second Avenue South for cadaver.

She said she had seen a lot of blood and slid. Officers went to that location and confirmed what the witness found.

Based on the direction of the blood trails from both scenes, I believed the incidents to be connected, the officer wrote. ShotSpotter detected a single shot fired at 9:50 p.m. at 7316 Third Ave., according to him. South Korea is a town in the south of the country.

Megginson was immediately taken to the UAB Hospital by a medical examiner who examined him. The bullet was still lodged in her brain.

She didnt have any identification on her and remained a Jane Doe for at least ten minutes. According to the officer, The doctors at UAB stated it was unlikely that the victim would survive her injuries, according to report.

Nealy took the children, dropping them off at a fire station, according to Megginson. They were both released and taken into state custody.

Megginson remained in the hospital for about two months. She has undergone 13 surgeries, the most recent being earlier this year.

The bullet is still lodged in her brain and is difficult to remove.

She has a shunt that runs from her brain to her stomach and drains fluid from there. The right side of her face is paralyzed, and she is deaf in her right ear. She had a weight placed into her eyelid so it would close while she was sleeping.

She claims that she survived because of God.

A TBI (traumatic brain injury) is what I have, she stated. At first, I was really angry. I had to re-learn to walk. I was just a little snooty. Its weird to be normal one minute and not normal the next.

There are also emotional scars. Megginson still has nightmares and suffers from anxiety.

Certain things make me jump, she said. Even though I dont remember (the shooting), my brain remembers it.

Somethings put me on the defensive, and I have to work through that, she added. Its part of the healing process, says Sheridan.

Megginson is now in a state of disability and no longer works. Im trying to get to know the new me, says Sheila.

Megginson took custody of both of her sons, but only when the latter resurfaced. I was having to fight to my kids back like I was a crackhead or something, she said. I was a victim, I told myself.

Megginson said he’s so happy to have them back, adding that. I just want to go on with my life, he added.

John Nealy III was arrested and charged with attempted murder.

He pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of first-degree assault in August 2019 and was sentenced to 25 years in prison. At the same time, he pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter in the capital murder trial. In that instance, he was given 20 years.

He is currently in Bullock Correctional Facility. His minimum release date is June 8, 2044.

While there wasnt any physical abuse in their relationship, Megginson said she now recognizes that there was emotional abuse she didn t realize at the time.

I grew up with domestic violence and I always thought if hes not touching me, itd be no abuse, she said. But there are different forms of abuse, and we dont pay attention to that, he added.

I should have given more attention to the control of what I was wearing, what was I doing, and where I went,” she said. Its not a good sign, he added.

She said, Id walk away from what she now knows.

I dont feel like its been discussed enough, she added. Its scary because it happened out of nowhere. My life was on its way to being taken.

Though Megginson has had her boys back for about eight months, the court case was officially closed last week. Shes now hoping to get back to her family in Oregon and has launched a GoFundMe campaign to raise money to return home. Donations may be made here.

She said she hopes to use her knowledge to assist others. I want them to know theyre not alone, she added, because I felt isolated.

Im a survivor, she added. I should be proud of that.

CLICK HERE TO SEE HER GO FUND ME