Nichole Thoms was 15 when her dad was murdered.
She and her mom and older sisters were living in Palmer when they learned that he had been stabbed to death outside his parents’ home in Ketchikan, in Southeast Alaska. Forty-five-year-old Nick Stachelrodt had come across a man who was rifling through a vehicle owned by Nichole’s grandparents, looking for cigarettes. Nick confronted him and a fight ensued. Nick received fatal stab wounds, collapsed and died in front of parents.
“It was something you just can’t unsee,” Nichole said of the 2011 homicide.
The loss of her father was emotionally devastating.
“It’s still really hard to get over it because I never got to say good-bye,” Nichole said.
The perpetrator, Devin Rossiter, then 18, was sentenced to 36 years after being convicted of second degree murder a year after the crime. Rossiter’s sentence was later reduced to 24 years upon appeal.
Nichole’s mom, Lynn Stachelrodt, connected with Victims for Justice after the murder and received services. VFJ was able to provide emotional support, financial assistance for cremation and travel costs to attend the trial in Ketchikan, help with preparing a victims’ impact statement and staying on top of the court process, among other services.
Time passed but Nichole’s relationship with Victims for Justice wasn’t over. Three years ago, Nichole became the victim of an armed carjacking in Anchorage in the parking lot of her employer.
A sous-chef at the Alaska Native Medical Center, Nichole had just arrived at about 5:45 a.m. and was walking toward the emergency room doors when “all of a sudden I hear someone running up behind me,” she recalled in a recent interview.
“I said, ‘What do you want?’”
The man pointed a pistol at her at close range. He demanded the keys to her car, a 2014 Dodge Charger, which he proceeded to steal. Nichole ran into the hospital and asked security to call 911. Authorities, including a SWAT team and a K-9 unit, eventually arrested Cordy Martin, 25, after a vehicle chase and collision with an oncoming vehicle. He was charged with robbery, assault and vehicle theft. A woman who was in the stolen car, Kaleea Fox, then 18, was also faced various criminal charges.
Martin, a Palau national, pleaded guilty and was sentenced to 11 years in prison, followed by five years of supervised release, according to the U.S. Attorney.
Nichole reconnected with Victims for Justice a short time after the carjacking. Lead advocate Michelle Evans assisted Nichole with the court process, connected her with a counselor, and provided other support services.
“Michelle helped me move on with my life,” Nichole said.
Nichole’s coping strategies include focusing on her work and her family, including two stepsons. She loves to prepare food, just like her dad did.
“I feel his presence sometimes when I cook.”
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