ELLSWORTH, Maine — A Maine man who ran over his girlfriend with a vehicle in Acadia National Park and then fled to Mexico was sentenced Thursday in a Hancock County Superior Court to 48 years in prison for murder.
Raymond Lester, 37, of Portland, was convicted in November of killing his girlfriend, Nicole Mokeme, in the hit-and-run crash at the Schoodic Institute in Winter Harbor.
The victim served as creative director of Rise and Shine Youth Retreat, which offers retreats and programs for Black children and adults. She also was one of the organizers of the Black Excellence Retreat 2022, which was in progress when she died.
Stephanie Kornegay, Nicole's mother, was one of many family members who gave impact statements before her daughter's killer was sentenced to 48 years in prison.
Kornegay spoke with NEWS CENTER Maine after the sentence was given.
"Honestly I hope he doesn't survive prison," Kornegay said.
During the sentencing, Kornegay read a letter her daughter wrote to Raymond, where Nicole wrote about the moment Nicole knew she needed to step away from her relationship with Lester and shared her love and hopes for Lester to heal.
"She loved Raymond—and she wanted him to heal—and she believed that he could," Kornegay said.
Nicole's father, Chief Oscar Mokeme said he feels young women need mentors and good friends in their corner who they trust or who they feel comfortable talking to when they feel that they are in danger.
Chief said the sentencing Lester received still doesn't make him feel complete.
"It doesn't matter how long he gets," Chief said. "If he had gotten 50 million years, it wouldn't have brought Nicole home—and it's sad to see."
Nicole's brother, Victor Davis, said this case should be a wakeup call for the world—arguing that women, especially Black women, deserve better.
"The only hope that I have is that this story will make a better voice for domestic violence," Davis said. "I feel like women especially are not very protected—especially POC [people of color] women. If anything, in Nicole's legacy, say something, look out for your friends, know the signs, and make sure that you're not afraid."
Davis said he hopes that his sister's tragedy can encourage people to change the way that they respond to domestic violence.
"I want that to be screamed to everybody," Davis said. "See something. Say something. Look out for your friends. Domestic violence is real."
According to Davis, several of his sister's friends were aware of Lester's violent behavior, and he said many of them shared countless stories about things they witnessed him say and do.
He said speaking up can be the difference in saving a person's life and saying goodbye to them too soon.
"We should have more outlets for people in general. There should be more safe havens. If somebody was run down by a car and left for dead, that's a huge statement to the world that this is the world we live in. We need to make sure that is always known. This is what happened, and we can prevent these things by being there for each other. We can prevent these things by having more open discussions. We can prevent these things by not being afraid to sometimes upset a friend and be like, 'Hey girl, I know you're going through some ish,' and we need to go ahead and settle it. It may be an argument, but it might be worth it."
Nicole leaves behind two daughters, one biological and one stepdaughter. Dahliya Tucker said Lester took more than her mother away. She said he took away her rest because she now spends countless hours awake at night thinking about her bonus mom, he took her trust in men, and she said he took away her peace.
Tucker said she is a psychology student, and from what she has learned, on average it takes seven times for a domestic violence incident to occur before a person steps away from a domestically violent situation.
Tucker said this is not the time to victim shame, or ask 'why didn't she just leave,' but instead to recognize the patterns of domestic violence and advocate for a safer place for women and men who are domestic violence victims.
"This is a sign and a wakeup call to everyone to be aware, to care, to speak up—even when it feels awkward, or you feel like it's not your business," Tucker said. "It is your business. It is. If you see it—say something."
Court documents indicate Mokeme was last seen near a fire pit late during the event in June 2022, and her body was found the following day.
Lester was nowhere to be found. But license-plate readers captured his BMW traveling through several states, including Georgia and Texas, days after the killing. Mexican authorities arrested him without incident in Cancun about a month later.