WVLT reports that nearly a year after 18-year-old Holden Howse was shot and killed at a Roane County car detail shop, his loved ones returned to the site on Thursday to mark what would have been his 19th birthday last week.

Friends, family, and his girlfriend, Ashlyn Keim, gathered at the former Mr. Clean Car Detail Shop to build a memorial, write messages, and celebrate his life rather than solely focus on his tragic passing.

“This place represents the day he was stolen from our family and he deserves better than that as a memory,” said Howse’s mother, Lynn Lavita. “He deserves to be remembered the day he was born and the day this world was gifted him.”

While loved ones gathered in remembrance, the legal proceedings moving through the court system continue to progress. Riley Pawlick, 17, has been moved to adult court and faces a second-degree murder charge in connection with the shooting. Additionally, former Harriman City Councilman Jared Frost and his son Brian Frost—who owned the detail shop—have been indicted on charges related to evidence tampering and witness coercion.