VALLEJO, Calif. – A convicted felon was charged Friday with murder in a shooting in which a woman in her Vallejo bedroom was killed by a stray bullet.

Family members of Courtney Whitney, 45, say they are mourning their loss but at the same time heartened by the arrest.

“I don’t know if it’s celebratory or just stupidity, I mean it was stupid no matter what,” said Whitney’s father, Brian Linehan. “I think someone was just shooting a gun out a window on the freeway and the bullet struck my daughter in the head.”

Stray bullet enters bedroom

What we know:

It happened early the morning of July 5. Whitney, a mother of five, was in her bedroom on Admiral Callaghan Lane when, without warning, a bullet pierced her wall.

Investigators say the gunfire apparently came from I-80 – directly behind her home between Tennessee and Redwood streets. But police have not said what may have led to the gunfire.

Suspect charged with murder

What they’re saying:

On Friday, the suspect, Jose Guadalupe Castillo, 42, was charged by Solano County prosecutors with murder, a day after being booked by Vallejo police. KTVU has learned the suspect was out on bail after an earlier shooting.

Whitney’s sisters have mixed emotions.

“On top of the grief of losing somebody so precious to you and your family, we’re also struggling with why this happened,” said sister Kellie Kennedy.

Another sister, Ashlee Kathrein, said, “It’s a completely senseless act that has completely destroyed our lives. And it almost makes me sadder to think it was so random.”

The family is trying to fill their emptiness with happy memories.

“I want her to be remembered for her love and her kindness, her energy, how well she took care of everybody. She really shouldered the burden of whatever we went through as kids,” Kathrein said.

Linehan said of his daughter, “She was never on time, but when she showed up, everybody knew it. Everybody was like, ‘Oh Courtney’s here, yay, the party’s gonna start.’ “

Linehan says his message is that “people see this and realize the consequences of doing such a stupid act.”

Kennedy said, “For me, justice looks like this person being held accountable.”

Her family and loved ones are struggling to move forward without her.

Kathrein said, “I think she had a lot left. Her life was cut way too short, and I was really looking forward to growing old with her. I’m really sad that I don’t get that.”

Henry Lee is a KTVU crime reporter. E-mail Henry at [email protected] and follow him on Twitter @henrykleeKTVU and www.facebook.com/henrykleefan