A Lake City man is behind bars this week after a grand jury indicted him for first-degree murder, ending a nearly two-year investigation into the disappearance of 61-year-old Martina Lundy.
Aaron Hokanson, 60, was originally picked up on second-degree charges, but prosecutors moved to upgrade the case Tuesday despite one glaring piece of missing evidence: Lundy’s body has never been found.
The case stems from a missing persons report filed by Lundy’s granddaughter on June 4, 2024. According to court documents, the couple’s two-year relationship had soured significantly in the months leading up to her disappearance.
Investigators say the tension peaked after Lundy began questioning Hokanson’s sexuality and allegedly uncovered a dark secret on his electronic devices.
Just days before she vanished, Lundy told her brother she had recorded Hokanson admitting to watching child sexual assault images “at least 100 times,” according to a probable cause affidavit. When confronted, Hokanson allegedly blamed his behavior on childhood trauma. Lundy reportedly fired back that there was “no excuse” and told him she intended to have him arrested by the end of the week.
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Police believe the situation turned fatal in the early hours of May 30, 2024. The last proof of life is a 2:23 a.m. voicemail Lundy left for her daughter, in which she can be heard arguing with Hokanson. Digital records show Hokanson’s vehicle was started just five hours later.
When family members came by the SW Carpenter Road home the following day to pick up a dress for an upcoming wedding, Lundy was gone. Hokanson claimed she had simply “taken off” after an argument, leaving behind her phone and her beloved dogs.
Prosecutors aren’t buying the story of a voluntary disappearance.
They point to $73,000 in cash left untouched in a safe-deposit box and the fact that Lundy was a primary caregiver for her granddaughter.
Assistant State Attorney Sean Crisafulli noted that Lundy was not the type to abandon her responsibilities or her tenants. “She is not coming home,” Crisafulli told WCJB. “Martina Lundy did not abandon her daughter. She did not abandon her granddaughter that she raised as her own.”
Evidence suggests Hokanson took steps to cover his tracks, including destroying his laptop and phone and sending “fake” text messages from Lundy’s accounts to make it look like she was traveling. He also allegedly lied to family members by claiming he had filed a police report when he had done no such thing.
Hokanson is currently being held at the Columbia County Jail without bond. Detectives are still searching for Lundy’s remains.
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