It's been two years since Casey Goodson Jr. was shot and killed by a former Franklin County deputy, but the heartache is still fresh for his family.
Sunday will mark two years since the shooting for which Jason Meade is facing a murder charge.
Goodson's mother and family attorney spoke to ABC 6 as they prepare for what figures to be an emotional court journey.
“Honestly, I just think it gets worse sometimes because the realization that he’s never coming back sets in and it just makes it worse,” said Goodson's mother, Tamala Payne.
Goodson, 23 at the time of his death, was shot five times in the back, and a sixth time in the buttocks.
Payne still describes the pain she feels as unbearable.
“I can’t believe she’s been gone for like two years," she said. "It’s been two years -- the pain, the grief, all of it is still the same."
Sean Walton, an attorney for the family, told ABC 6 it's been a difficult two years for the family.
“As I look at Tamala, and I see what she’s going through, I think it’s important that people know every single day that’s happening,” Walton said.
On the anniversary of his death, Goodson's family is planning a celebration of life reflecting on the times before his death.
"I talk to Casey every day," Payne said. "Yeah I talk to Casey. He’s everywhere, everywhere you look in my living room is a picture of him. So I talk to him every day.”
Court records indicate that Meade's lawyers and prosecutors will be back in court Dec. 13.
After 17 years with the Franklin County Sheriff's Office, Meade retired in July 2021, about seven months after the shooting, and five months before he was charged in the case. He had been on leave between the shooting and his retirement.
His attorney, Mark Collins, told ABC 6 On Your Side investigators Haley Nelson that he believes a future trial date could be the focus of that hearing.