Alleged JBLM deserter in custody in murder of RediCab driver

A person of interest is in custody in connection to the murder of RediCab driver Nick Hokema, whose body was found outside Southcenter Mall in Tukwila on Jan. 15.

According to the Tukwila Police Department, the person of interest is currently in custody with another law enforcement agency on unrelated charges.

On Tuesday, sources confirmed with KIRO 7 that the person in custody is an alleged Joint Base Lewis-McChord deserter.

KIRO Newsradio reported that it reached out to the U.S. Army Criminal Investigative Division (CID) to determine if that person is Specialist Jonathan Kang Lee, a deserter last seen Jan. 14 at JBLM. He was arrested last Friday.

Nicholas Hokema, 34, of Tumwater was driving a RediCab overnight on Jan. 14 — the same day Lee was last seen. Tukwila police said someone found Hokema early Monday morning, unconscious, lying in the parking lot of Westfield Southcenter, about 55 miles from his home.

Hokema later died in the city of SeaTac. A medical examiner determined he was killed by “multiple sharp object injuries.”

Hokema’s red 2012 Toyota Camry with RediCab markings was spotted in unincorporated Redmond in the middle of the day on Jan. 19, but the driver fled before police arrived. Tukwila police confirmed they had located the car in the Redmond area this past weekend in the same area where Lee was arrested, according to The News Tribune in Tacoma.

Calls to the Redmond Police Department asking for information about Lee are being referred to Tukwila police with no details provided.

“Specialist Jonathan Kang Lee, a deserter of the U.S. Army, was apprehended by the Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division with the assistance of local authorities on Jan. 26 and transferred to military custody,” an Army Criminal Investigation Division spokesperson said in a prepared statement.

KIRO 7 caught up with Nick Hokema’s girlfriend about the discovery of the car and why she feels it’s a step toward justice.

“I want justice for Nick Hokema,” Nicole Sharkody, Hokema’s girlfriend, said.

KIRO 7 went to the Redmond Ridge neighborhood where the vehicle was supposedly recovered Sunday morning. Several people who live there told KIRO 7 that they saw several officers monitoring a vehicle that had a tarp over it and then watched it get towed away.

“I was shocked. I was definitely shocked,” a neighbor told KIRO 7.

Sharkody tells KIRO 7 she hopes the case continues to catch the attention, not only of law enforcement but the public overall.

“I’ve seen too many cases just not get the attention that they need in order for things to change because so many things need to change,” Shakody said.

MyNorthwest contributed to this story.

©2024 Cox Media Group