![\"CapeCoralTheater.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772102290_324_.png\")
<\/p>\nCAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014 For nearly two years, Luz Rincon has grieved privately.<\/p>\n
Now, in an exclusive interview with FOX 4\u2019s Shari Armstrong, she is speaking publicly for the first time about the loss of her 15-year-old daughter, Kayla Rincon-Miller \u2014 and how her unimaginable heartbreak has grown into a mission to reach teens before they make the kind of choices that change lives forever.<\/p>\n
WATCH THE EXCLUSIVE FULL STORY HERE:<\/p>\n
HAD TO DO SOMETHING’: Cape Coral mom starts nonprofit after daughter’s shooting<\/p>\n
The Night of March 17, 2024<\/p>\n
On March 17, 2024, Rincon dropped Kayla off at a movie theater in Cape Coral. <\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
FOX 4<\/p>\n
Just hours later, her phone rang.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe first thing I heard was Kayla got shot,\u201d Luz said.<\/p>\n
At first, she didn\u2019t believe it.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought it was a joke. Until I heard her voice in the background say, \u2018Am I going to die?\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n
Rincon rushed out of her home, and first headed to the theater, where Kayla was supposed to be. But Kayla wasn\u2019t there. She later learned her daughter had gone with friends to McDonald\u2019s after the movie.<\/p>\n
Using her daughter\u2019s phone location, Rincon tracked her to a scene filled with law enforcement officers.<\/p>\n
\u201cAutomatically they tell us to head up to the hospital,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n
Kayla was taken into surgery. Two hours later, the family received the news no parent is prepared to hear.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe get the news that they did all that they could do\u2026and she passed away,” Luz said. <\/p>\n
She said Kayla had been shot in the chest.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe were just\u2026 in such a shock,\u201d Rincon said. \u201cWe didn\u2019t get to say our goodbyes.\u201d<\/p>\n
Life After the Cameras<\/p>\n
Nearly two years later, Rincon said the grief hasn\u2019t eased \u2014 it has simply changed.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe heart gets heavy sometimes. It\u2019s your kid. You\u2019re a mom. You miss their voice\u2026 you miss hearing them\u2026 you miss hugging them,” Luz said. <\/p>\n
![\"KaylaandLuz.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772102291_270_.png\")
<\/p>\n
Luz Rincon<\/p>\n
She describes the journey as \u201ca rollercoaster of emotions and feelings,\u201d and said her faith has carried her through the darkest moments.<\/p>\n
\u201cI am a woman that believes strongly in God. If it wasn\u2019t for Him\u2026 I think I would\u2019ve been a mess,” Luz said. <\/p>\n
Two teens are charged in Kayla\u2019s murder: Christopher Horne Jr. and Thomas Stein. <\/p>\n
In a plea deal, Horne Jr. plead no contest. In exchange, he will testify against Stein during his trial in April. Horne Jr. is expected to be sentenced in May, which was scheduled on Feb. 24. <\/p>\n
When asked if she has forgiven those charged with killing Kayla, Luz was candid.<\/p>\n
\u201cI wouldn\u2019t say I\u2019ve fully forgiven,” she said. <\/p>\n
What she feels most, she said, is sadness.<\/p>\n
Luz said, \u201cNot only did you took a life. But you\u2019ve taken your life into\u2026 empty walls. For what? Was it worth it?\u201d<\/p>\n
She believes different decisions that night could have changed everything.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think if these kids would\u2019ve been doing something else\u2026 Kayla would\u2019ve been here,” Luz said. <\/p>\n
Turning Grief Into Purpose<\/p>\n
In the months after her daughter\u2019s death, Rincon said she felt compelled to act \u2014 not out of anger, but out of urgency.<\/p>\n
\u201cI started just feeling such a need to do something,” Luz said. <\/p>\n
![\"Luz&Shari.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772102292_845_.png\")
<\/p>\n
Andy Cunningham<\/p>\n
Alongside her daughter Tatiana, Kayla\u2019s friends and Southwest Florida Crime Stoppers, Rincon launched Kayla\u2019s House \u2014 a nonprofit focused on teen crime awareness and gun violence prevention.<\/p>\n
The organization aims to open conversations with both teens and parents about choices, consequences and accountability.<\/p>\n
\u201cParents and family\u2026 the responsibility falls on us, too,\u201d Rincon said, encouraging adults to secure firearms and stay engaged in their children\u2019s lives.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re not going to save the world\u2026but maybe just one life,” she said.<\/p>\n
Kayla\u2019s House is planning its first community event, featuring food, a DJ, free haircuts and young business leaders speaking with teens about positive paths forward.<\/p>\n
![\"KaylasHouse.png\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772102294_421_.png\")
<\/p>\n
Kayla’s House<\/p>\n
Rincon hopes a young person might look at someone on stage and think, \u201cHey\u2026 that could be me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u2018Kayla\u2019s death cannot be in vain\u2019<\/p>\n
Rincon said she ultimately hopes to grow Kayla\u2019s House into a physical youth center in the same community that has supported her family since 2024.<\/p>\n
She said strangers still recognize her.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019ve even bumped into people and they\u2019re like, \u2018Are you Kayla\u2019s mom?\u2019 That\u2019s helped,” Luz said.<\/p>\n
But even with the support, one question still lingers.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhy did this happen? Why my kid?\u201d<\/p>\n
![\"BabyKayla.JPG\"](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/02\/1772102294_605_.jpeg\")
<\/p>\n
Luz Rincon<\/p>\n
When asked what she believes Kayla would think about the nonprofit created in her name, Rincon smiled through tears.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think she would be very proud\u2026 that we\u2019re not allowing her death to be in vain,” she said. <\/p>\n
As the legal process continues, Rincon said her focus is clear: honoring her daughter\u2019s life by working to ensure another family doesn\u2019t endure the same loss.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"CAPE CORAL, Fla. \u2014 For nearly two years, Luz Rincon has grieved privately. Now, in an exclusive interview…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":169909,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[14],"tags":[209,211,210,212,68647,264,68667,80918,356,80919,80920,80921],"class_list":["post-169908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral","tag-cape-coral-headlines","tag-cape-coral-news","tag-cape-coral-police","tag-christopher-horne-jr","tag-fox-4","tag-kayla-rincon-miller","tag-kaylas-house","tag-lee-county","tag-luz-rincon","tag-march-2024","tag-shari-armstrong"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=169908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/169908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/169909"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=169908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=169908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-fl\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=169908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}