Friends of a mother and her 13-year-old daughter slain Friday in their Makiki home mixed tears with laughter during a vigil held yesterday evening at the state Capitol.

Kristine Cass, 46, and her daughter, Saundra, were fatally shot, along with their neighbors’ Shih Tzu, by Cass’ ex-boyfriend, Clayborne Conley, 43, who then killed himself.

Bond Bortman, Saundra’s best friend and eighth-grade classmate at Sacred Hearts Academy, led the silent march of about 100 people around the Capitol block.

Charles Koenig, 13, who had been Saundra’s classmate at Wilson Elementary School, said: "She was a really smart, caring person. Whenever you felt down, she was there to cheer you up."

At the Capitol, Bortman, surrounded by other classmates, spoke through tears to those gathered, saying she wanted people to know "how positive she was, how caring she was," adding, "I just miss her so much. It just doesn’t make any sense to me. … It’s just really hard that she’s not here anymore. … We’re sad their lives had to be cut short."

The Medical Examiner’s Office released the causes of death yesterday, confirming the Casses were victims of homicide.

Cass died of gunshot wounds to the head and torso, and she also received gunshot wounds to the extremities. Saundra Cass died of gunshot wounds to the head and torso.

Conley died of a suicidal gunshot wound to the head.

Saundra’s classmates said she was the spirit of their class, a role model and friend to all.

"If anybody got into fights, she would always bring them back together," Rebecca Walton said. "She had no enemies at Sacred Hearts. Everybody loved her."

Angelique Racpan said: "She just made everyone laugh. Now life is not the same without her life and her smile and her presence."

The couple who owned Pika, the dog who was killed, and were neighbors of the Casses for about eight years, said they watched Saundra grow up and that she loved Pika, who spent time between the two homes.

The wife, who asked not to be named, described Cass as a wonderful person. "She was always there for me when my baby was born," she said. "They took great care of us. I’m really going to miss all three of them."

But the woman said later, "I’m scared to death for my safety and my family’s safety," and believes she is suffering from post-traumatic stress after the shootings.

Her husband said he heard the girl’s screams and the gunshots. He ran over, and he recalled the smell of the shots and the horrified look on the face of a neighbor who saw the crime scene.

Cass’ friend Laura Boyer told the Star-Advertiser: "Kristine was a beautiful person from the inside out. She and Saundra were both full of life and goodness. She’s gone physically, but her spirit is here, part of me, part of all of us here.

"No matter what was going on in her life, no matter what struggles, she did not let it get her down. She lived life to the fullest."