JBLM Army deserter sentenced to life in prison for murder of cab driver, other crimes
A U.S. Army deserter pleaded guilty during his court martial Wednesday and was sentenced for the murder of a Tumwater cab driver along with several other crimes.
Pvt. Jonathan Kang Lee, 26, a former signal intelligence analyst at Joint Base Lewis-McChord, fled the military base in January 2024 just as his court martial for child sex crimes was set to begin. When he was on the run, Nicholas Hokema was found dead from a stabbing in a Southcenter Mall parking lot in Tukwila on Jan. 15, 2024, The News Tribune previously reported.
Lee was convicted and sentenced in-absentia for the child sex crimes. The Department of the Army Criminal Investigation Division and local police arrested Lee about a week later, and he returned to military custody, according to a U.S. Army news release.
The soldier was charged with Hokema’s murder, resisting arrest, desertion, wrongful use of a controlled substance and failure to obey a lawful order, the release said.
A military judge sentenced Lee to life in prison with the possibly of parole, which will be no earlier than 2045, the release said. He will also receive a dishonorable discharge.
“This sentence is in addition to his previous sentence of 64 years in confinement for felony sexual assault offenses where he also received a dishonorable discharge and forfeiture of all pay and allowances. His prison sentences will be served consecutively,” the release said.
Lee will serve his sentence at the U.S. Disciplinary Barracks in Fort Leavenworth, Kansas, the release said.
“This sentencing is the result of the tireless work and dedication of multiple agencies to gather and present the evidence supporting the prosecution of Lee for his actions,” Michele Starostka, special agent in charge of Army Criminal Investigation Division Western Field Office, said in the release.
This story was originally published April 25, 2025 at 3:58 PM.
