Shelbyville's coldest case? The unsolved murder of Jim Duckett

A sister's search for justice continues as the anniversary of a brutal killing approaches.

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Katherine Nichols doesn't sleep well in the fall. Every Halloween, the memories come flooding back. That's when her brother Jim called in the middle of the night, upset after being robbed. Nine days later, on November 9, 2008, she found him murdered in his own home.

This Sunday marks 17 years since Jim Duckett's death. Seventeen years of unanswered questions. Seventeen years of a sister reliving the worst day of her life, over and over again.

"Some years are better, some years are worse," Katherine said in a recent interview, her voice steady but heavy with the weight of nearly two decades of grief.

A day that started normal

The day before Jim's murder was supposed to be ordinary. It was 'Light Up Shelbyville', a beloved local holiday event, and Katherine and Jim spent the day Christmas shopping together. She's a retired postal worker- and likes to get things done early.

When Jim dropped her off at home, she called him back. He hadn't said goodbye.

"I did the 'bye sis, I love you,'" Katherine recalled. "And he laughed. He goes, 'Bye sis, I love you.' And I said I had a good time today. And he said, 'So did I.'"

It was the last conversation they would ever have.