12th Tacoma Homicide of 2023: Marion Hodges
On the morning of May 1, 2023, 50-year-old Marion Hodges was doing something that had unfortunately become all too common. His argument with his partner of six years had turned violent. This time he’d lost his temper in the parking lot of Winco at South 72nd Street. And this time was more violent than the times before. He’d already hit her head into the steering wheel enough for her to lose consciousness, but he wasn’t stopping.
Toxicology reports would show that he was high on ‘wet’, a street drug version of embalming fluid. Another man saw Marion and pulled a small knife with the intention of stopping the beating. This got Marion’s attention. The man with the knife told Marion to let go of her. Marion received four small superficial cuts and then swung on the man trying to stop his violence. The swinging of Marion’s arm allowed the man’s knife to puncture Marion in the rotator cuff area.
Marion died of his wounds on the scene. After extensive police questioning, prosecutors determined that this was a case of justifiable homicide and another example of the dangerous combination of street drugs and violent tendencies.
Born in Allentown, Pennsylvania, Marion lived in Tacoma as a child and attended high school in Tacoma. He then went to technical college for carpentry. He really enjoyed being around other people. His favorite thing to do was make someone laugh. He was good at it and enjoyed watching people smile and laugh in spite of themselves. Like so many of us, he had his demons. And like all of us, he was more than the worst things he did.
I can only share what I’m able to learn about the victim. For a more detailed information I rely on friends and family of the victim who may want to share thoughts or memories of Marion. This is what the comment section is for.
- Jack Cameron