Family Focused On Faith A Year After 18-Year-Old Murdered
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DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - Zoe Hastings left her home near White Rock Lake thinking she would have time to return a movie before heading off to church.
The 18-year-old would never make it to the worship service.
Police said Hastings was kidnapped from a Walgreens less than a quarter-of-a-mile from her home. Her body was later discovered inside the family van in a nearby creek.
"That one moment does not define her or us," said Cheryl Hastings, Zoe's mother.
Now, one year after Hastings was found murdered, her parents have tried to heal.
"It's kind of hard when you see other families that we know that have kids that are Zoe's age, that they're going off to college and having lots of the experiences she would be having," said Jim Hastings, Zoe's father.
Investigators said Antonio Lamar Cochran forced his way inside Zoe's van and later murdered her.
"Hating somebody is like taking poison yourself and hoping the other person dies. And that's really how I look at holding grudges or feeling hatred," said Jim Hastings.
While her parents are nervous to face their daughter's alleged killer in court, they rarely think about Cochran.
"He doesn't deserve that much time from us. It would be robbing us of our happiness and joy if we let him rule how we feel," said Cheryl Hastings.
Police said the killing was random and the two had never met.
"Bad things happen to good people unfortunately," said Cheryl Hastings. "It was her goal to make everyone happy and make the world a better place."
Cheryl and Jim are reminded of Zoe's attitude every day. At every corner of their Casa Linda home, there is a picture of their smiling daughter.
"We believe that we'll see her again and I think that does kind of create a different perspective when you're trying to keep going forward even though it's tough," said Cheryl Hastings.
A scholarship is in the works to keep Zoe's memory living on in the community.
Cochran remains in jail and has a status hearing later in October.
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