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Indiana teen creates unique prom dress to honor her late brother

Posted at 9:11 PM, May 03, 2019
and last updated 2019-05-03 21:11:48-04

INDIANAPOLIS – When someone you love passes away, you do what you can to honor their life. It’s what Antonio Frierson's family does every year.

Police say the 16-year-old Ben Davis High School student was shot and killed more than two years ago by his friend, Micah Sanders, who was playing with a gun.

Antonio's family thinks the shooting was intentional. Sanders pleaded guilty to two of the charges and spent some time behind bars.

One of Antonio’s dreams was to go to prom and through the imagination of his sister, Antonett Frierson, he’ll be right next to her.

"I took my memories and imagination and created something I can vision," Antonett said.

With the help of Vivian Jackson designer Mariah Jackson, they came up with the perfect way to take Antonio to prom, by making a dress with photos of the teen all over it.

"Recently I had lost a friend through gun violence and it was very, very intense. It was a similar story only her son was even younger, so it really hit home," Jackson said.

Anntonett's dress and her brother's memory is even more emotional right now, especially because her brother's killer just violated his community corrections sentence and a warrant was issued for his arrest.

"You see the person that killed him just being able to go to social media and say this is what I ate today and say what is happening in life. I can’t see that. I can’t talk to him," Antonett said.

The family is trying to move past even more hurt and their loss.

Related: Pasquotank Sgt. helps students by collecting high heels, dresses and tuxedos for prom

Antonio's mother, Angelyca Dossa, says one of her son’s biggest wishes was to attend prom with his sister Antonett. This dress is something Antonett will cherish for a lifetime.

"I just didn’t pick just any picture of his face or because it’s a clear picture of his face. Every picture on that dress has a story," Antonett said.

"Now that the dress is made, it’s even more beautiful than we thought it would be," Angelyca said.

Antonett’s prom is Saturday. They'll be celebrating the big day as a family.