Loved ones honor taxi driver killed by escaped JBLM soldier

Special event to honor murdered local cab driver

Nick Hokema is being honored in Lacey, nearly three months since he was kidnapped and killed by an escaped JBLM soldier.

LACEY, Wash. - The memory of Nick Hokema was honored Sunday morning in a special way.

His partner is continuing a tradition the two of them started together. Hokema was a local taxi driver who is believed to have been kidnapped and murdered by an escaped JBLM soldier.

FOX 13 spoke with Nicole Sharkody, Nick's partner as she was laying out the charms at Wonderwood Park.

She said she loved making clay charms in the shape of animals and cartoon characters, and then she would hide them with Nick at a local park for kids to find.

Sharkody said her partner loved seeing other people happy and that's what she wanted to continue Sunday morning.

"In honor of my partner, Nicholas Hokema, he was killed January 15," Sharkody said. "I since then have been immersing myself in polymer clay charm making. I have a little dinosaur right here. Made about 100 of these and I've hidden them in my local park. That's for the kids to enjoy on Easter and I know he would have liked that."

It's been almost three months now since the death of Hokema, but the grief is still fresh for his loved ones.

"Enjoy the little things right now, because you never know when they'll mean the most to you," Sharkody said.

On January 15, 34-year-old Hokema's body was found with multiple stab wounds at the Southcenter Mall parking lot. Later that week, police reported they were looking for his red Toyota Camry with "Redicab" markings.

On March 1, the Tukwila Police Department named Jonathan Kang Lee as a suspect in the homicide case. Lee was also wanted for military desertion and child molestation.

The case is still under investigation and as of Sunday, no charges have been filed against Lee.

Now, his loved ones are left to cope with Hokema's unexpected death. His partner works hard to keep his memory alive in big and small ways.

"I would sit at my craft table and make them while he was gaming and every once in a while he would peek over and go, 'Oh you're making Kirby.' and he would give me suggestions of charms I could make and I watched a lot of YouTube tutorials and he was really proud of what I could do," Sharkody said.

While nothing can bring her partner back, she's happy to share the joy nick used to share with the world.

"Nick loved you all," Sharkody said. "He, he would have done anything for anybody. And, I'm just trying to keep that going."

Sharkody told FOX 13 she chose Wonderwood Park specifically to hide her charms because it was the first place she and Hokema went for a walk in the park with his dog, so it holds a special place in her heart.