Virginia Beach, Va. - "My faith tells me I have to forgive Glen, and that`s hard. But I`ve forgiven him, and I continue to hold strong in my faith. "
Chris Lane is talking about Glen Phillips. He's the man who police say shot and killed his son, 18-year-old Cody Lane.
His son was always the "big brother" to his younger siblings, and he was known for his smile.
"He had a contagious smile that would light up the room. He`s a special kid. He didn`t deserve to lose his life this way," Chris said.
In court, Phillips admitted to a judge the gun "accidentally discharged." Then he was denied bond.
The Commonwealth Attorney says before the gun went off, Phillips had been drinking and smoking marijuana with Cody and another teenager.
Then Cody was killed.
"I miss him. I want Cody back. He had a whole life ahead of him," Chris said.
Cody's dad tells NewsChannel 3 his son worked for Phillips' landscaping company. From there, he says Phillips began "negatively influencing his son."
He doesn't want to go into specifics because he doesn't want to jeopardize the investigation.
"Some of the stories were so outlandish, I didn't even believe. Cody promised me that his relationship with Glen was over."
The Commonwealth Attorney and the Virginia Beach Police Department say they are still investigating.
While they do, Cody's dad is leaning on his faith to help ease the pain.
"For such a small, skinny, little fellow, his heart was big. I know he's in Heaven working for God right now," Chris said.
