TULSA, Oklahoma -
A bike and car show held Saturday served as a celebration for the life of Kayla Ferrante and the arrest of a suspect in the case.
"The support for her has been heartwarming," Ferrante's mother, Roxanne Thornton said. "Of course, there isn't any of this that could bring her back, but to see all of these people here coming out in this heat today to support us, to be here with us, to carry on her memory and her name is amazing to me."
Ferrante was shot and killed on May 26, while riding in a car with her boyfriend. A bullet traveled through the license plate of the car, through two seats, and hit her in the chest.
7/27/2012 Related Story: Boyfriend Of Murdered Tulsa Teen Reacts To Break In Case
"It brings up the whole, ‘What if they would have done different, if they could have taken a different car, they could have been there 30 minutes earlier, 30 minutes later,'" said Chris Swan, a friend of Ferrante's. "It just hurts you a little bit more, but at least they did catch the person who did it."
Exactly two months later, police arrested Edwin Daniels.
Records show Daniels confessed to a friend that he mistakenly shot at the car Kayla was in, because he thought a rival gang member was in it.
"To know that it wasn't related to who was in the vehicle and it wasn't related to the owner of the vehicle, if that is in fact the case, certainly gives me a lot of peace," Thornton said.
7/27/2012 Related Story: Arrest Made In Kayla Ferrante Murder; Witness Says It Was Mistaken ID In Gang Hit
Since the murder, Thornton said everything is different. She's not only lost her daughter, but also her sense of comfort.
"Before this happened, I felt incredibly safe. Since this has happened, my sense of security has been shattered and nothing around this case is ever going to restore that for me. I imagine only time can heal that," Thornton said.
Although the suspect is behind bars, Roxanne is bracing herself for the next roller coaster ride.
"The two months that we waited for this piece of information seemed like an eternity to us, and I imagine the next round of eternity for us will be the waiting process for the courts," Thornton said.
Since Kayla's murder, friends and family have been raising money for a reward fund to help find Kayla's killer.
Since police were able to make an arrest without the help of a tip from the community, the money will now go to the Memorial High School special needs program.
A bike and car show held Saturday served as a celebration for the life of Kayla Ferrante.
Kayla Ferrante's mother, Roxanne Thornton.
Mug shot of murder suspect, Edwin Daniels.
