Quite often, an individual’s perception of someone doesn’t mirror the reality.
The challenges that Nickalas Lee faced growing up are well-documented. Born in Texas to a mother addicted to drugs, Lee, at just 29 weeks, had traces of cocaine in his system and was alcohol fetal. Within a month of being in the foster care system, he was placed with the Lee family. Three years later, they officially adopted him.
“Just like that, he started to get happier and happier. Nickalas grew, gained weight and before long, he was calling us ‘Mom’ and ‘Dad.’ He was ours. I don’t know what it was, but there was something truly magical about him,” said Kathy Lee who, along with her husband Darrell, moved their family to Roanoke in 2015.
She added, “I chose to enroll my son at Patrick Henry because it had a great reputation. After meeting with school officials, I felt even more confident that I made the right decision.”
Some people go through life and are generally accepted for who they are in most circles. That wasn’t Lee’s reality. Being adopted by a White family led to constant bullying by some of his peers.
“Regardless, I considered him my brother. Every time that I needed something, he would be there. If I needed someone to talk to, he would be there,” Cally Rose said.
Making mistakes, trusting the wrong people and giving in to peer pressure are all phases that most teenagers go through. That combination led to Lee tragically losing his life to gun violence in June 2017, just days after graduating from high school.
Sins of the City, a national docuseries that explores crimes that change a community forever, dedicated an entire episode to Lee. Featured in the broadcast are non-speaking actors, first-hand accounts from those who knew Lee best and actual interviews with law enforcement members who helped solve the crime.
“Sins of the City: Roanoke” can also be viewed at jupiterent.com.
