GREENSBORO, N.C. - A year has passed, but it hasn't gotten any easier for a mother, after her 18-year-old son was killed in August 2017.
"I'm angry, I'm frustrated. It will never go away," said Debra McBride Robinson.
J'Quan Robinson was murder last year, shot five times, and then robbed, after what police call a drug deal gone bad.
This week, the Robinson family watched as a judge sentenced his killer to more than 15 years in prison. They say, although they've seen justice - it's far from closure.
"J'Quan was like my right hand man," said Robinson, "He was always with me, and now, it's just different. I looked for him to come home at night, and I can hear his voice just saying 'Ma' all the time even though he's not present."
She says, he was positive and caring, someone who always had a smile on his face. He used to fill her life with conversation and laughter, but now - it's filled with silence, as she and her family cope with the loss.
Greensboro Police responded to North Swing Road to find J'Quan Robinson dead on August 14, 2017. Soon after, they arrested Azadia Jefferies, charging him with second degree murder and robbery with a deadly weapon.
Jefferies' defense attorney says he thought Robinson was pulling a gun, so he shot him because he was "scared."
Robinson's mother doesn't buy it.
"To me, if you stated that you were scared, or out of fear - that's an incident not out of fear. That's overkill to me," she said.
This week, Jefferies pleaded guilty and was sentenced to at least 15 years, and 10 months for the crime. A crime that continues to have a drastic impact, rippling through the lives of the Robinson family.
"I'm mad about it but, I just don't let it affect me at all because I know that I've got to get through it somehow," said D'Marion Robinson, J'Quan's younger brother.
"I think that by him taking the plea, it helped him," Debra Robinson said, "It didn't help us because we'll never have closure."
► Make it easy to keep up to date with more stories like this. Download the WFMY News 2 App now