Today in the courtroom the verdict was read aloud and found the defendant guilty on both Murder 2 and Malicious Harassment (Washington’s hate crime law).
We, at Justice for Nikki task force, applaud the jury’s verdicts in this case, and are happy to see the defendant held accountable for his violent, malicious act. Nikki Kuhnhausen was a daughter, a sister, an aunt and a beloved community member.
Nothing can replace her loss for those of us who loved her. The long build up to this trial, and the defense’s attempts to somehow paint Nikki, who was a 17 year old girl, as being “responsible” for the defendant’s violent actions, were excruciating for us, and particularly for Nikki’s mother Lisa.
There’s no excuse for what happened to Nikki. This hate crime wounded our community. We came together to help each other heal and cope. While that healing will take a lifetime for some of us, this verdict, in its own way, offers a sense of closure.
Please keep Lisa and the rest of Nikki’s family during this time.
We got #justicefornikki y’all!
Sentencing will be Thursday, September 9th at 8:30 AM.