Mother of Livonia stabbing victim speaks out: "Never miss an opportunity to tell your family you love them"

A Metro Detroit mother whose 34-year-old son was fatally stabbed in Livonia last week wants her son's legacy to live on. She also wants the two people arrested in connection with his death to face serious consequences. 

"I am going to make sure you continue to pay for your choices. We all do. My son paid with his life, so you have to pay with your time," Felisha Hatcher told CBS News Detroit.

Nicholos Hatcher was stabbed to death in Livonia last Thursday. Police say two suspects, 30-year-old Spencer Krusell and 26-year-old Scott Harrington, allegedly robbed Hatcher of his backpack. 

Police say Hatcher was stabbed in the chest when he confronted the suspects. Now, his mother is turning grief into action, advocating against violence and demanding accountability.

"All he [Nick] talked about was traveling globally, learning food culture, having a food truck, and having a restaurant. But a lot of that is cut down now," Felisha Hatcher said.

She described her son as someone who loved cooking and had been in the culinary industry for years, working at different establishments throughout the metro area.

"He was always the one who wanted the cookbooks and recipes and sitting in there with them. He would be the one in there," she said.

Krusell is charged with second-degree murder, while Harrington is charged with larceny from a building and receiving and concealing stolen property, valued at more than $200 but less than $1,000. 

"I knew the laptop was in the bag, to make him go get his backpack from there," Felisha Hatcher said. 

She says her son was on the phone with a friend when he was stabbed.

"She heard Nick say, 'You stabbed me,' and they ran off at that point," she said.

While the two arrests bring some relief, she says the pain remains, especially because they weren't on the best of terms when he died.

"Never miss an opportunity to tell your family you love them. You don't always get those opportunities again. I've been dealing with that. Because I didn't get to squash this, but you know, even though we loved each other, still," Felisha Hatcher said.

She says she's been a community advocate for years. She believes her son, Nick, would want his death to be a call to speak out against violence. She says she's been moved by community support, especially from those who knew her son.

"I love it, you [Nick] were actually doing and being who and what I knew you were," she said.

Nicholos Hatcher's family will host a public celebration of life from 3-6 p.m. on Sunday, June 7, at The LOVE Building in Detroit (4731 Grand River Ave.).