ROANOKE, VA – “Time... where does the time go? It seems like it happened yesterday,” Kierston Cole said.
Twelve months without her son, Isaac Cunningham — and still, Kierston Cole finds herself walking the route home he never got to finish.
“365 days of pain and agony and suffering, and the should’ve, could’ve, would’ve’s and the what-ifs,” Cole said.
Now, the legal journey is inching toward a close.
Daydrian Martin pled guilty to first-degree murder in connection to Isaac’s killing back in April.
Next month, Cole will look him in the eye during sentencing.
“I want him to see who I am. I want him to see who Isaac is through me. I want him to see the family, and I want him to see how he’s hurt us and torn us apart,” she said.
Thursday morning, Cole placed angel wing balloons along Isaac’s path home — each one a symbol of love and loss — even in the exact spot where her son was killed.
“It’s surreal. My son was so brave and strong right here. So I get power from being here,” she said.
Cole is also building something bigger out of her grief — laying the groundwork for a foundation in Isaac’s name.
“I just got sparked with a fire to try and make change. We’re working on a nonprofit organization called ‘Isaac Ikier’s Way’ where we are fighting to end bullying. Our youth in the area need more supportive adults, more adults to get down on their level to understand where they’re coming from,” she said.
She wants Isaac’s final walk home memorialized so that everyone on this path is reminded of him.
“I proposed to the city that they change the name of the greenway starting at Routt Road. Change the name to Isaac Ikier’s Way, just to honor Isaac — a great kid who loved to walk, who loved the greenway, would’ve been an asset to our community," she said.
Cole’s fight for justice continues — but her focus extends beyond the courtroom.
She hopes every passerby remembers him — not just as a victim, but as a vibrant 15-year-old who loved this path.