WSVN — Jim's mother is named Joanne, his sister is Julie, and in East Lansing Michigan where they lived everyone called them the three j's.
Joanne Lose: "Julie, Jim and Joanne, and that's how we led our lives. We were always full of fun together, we'd laugh our head off all the time."
Jim was the adventuresome one, moving to California, Las Vegas, then deciding he wanted to enjoy a little sun and fun. So, the three j's headed to North Miami to help him find an apartment.
Julie Bassett: "That was the last time that my mom and him and I were alone together and it was amazing. It just felt like old times and we just laughed so much and told stories."
Jim loved South Florida. He told them wonderful stories about his adventures, then Joanne got a call from Jim's boss telling her a horrible story.
Joanne Lose: "All he did was just blurt it out, Jim died-. Jim's dead, and so, I just you know, I went pretty nuts."
John Mayato, Detective, North Miami Police Dept.: "The police had shown up, checked the residence after he hadn't shown up for work and found Jim lying, it was next to the front door."
Jim had been murdered. His North Miami apartment was a bloody mess.
John Mayato: "He was stabbed to death, and we believe that the knife or the instrument that was used was taken away by the killer."
The killer took away the murder weapon, but left behind several footprints.
John Mayato: "They were a certain kind of Nike shoe, a flat shoe not a running shoe, maybe an Air Force One type of shoe."
There was no sign of forced entry. There was no robbery, bottom line there was just no motive, no reason why anyone would want to kill 27-year-old Jim Bowerman.
John Mayato: "It's a sad situation because we know it's a solvable case. There is physical evidence and we're stumped. We're really stumped on this one."
Stumped, but not without hope. Jim was a popular guy, he knew a lot of people. Women liked him, his friends speculated it might have been a jealous boyfriend who killed Jim. That theory hasn't gone anywhere. Detectives are convinced someone knows something.
Dick Masten, Crimestoppers: "I believe there's somebody out there who still has some bit of information that can solve this case and just hasn't made the decision to come forward yet."
Crimestoppers has put up a $5,000 reward hoping the money will motivate someone to make an anonymous phone call.
Dick Masten: "At crimestoppers we're hoping that person's still out there. We hope that they see this story and they make that decision to finally come forward and call us so we can give this family some peace."
Give the two remaining j's a little peace by providing something they desperately want answers.
Julie Bassett: "I want to know who this person is. I want to know what they look like. I want all of the details, you run the scenario over in your head, over and over and over again."
The family has set up a website in his memory. It will stay up until the killer is caught.
Joanne Lose: "No one has the right to take another somebody's life. No one has the right to do that, and you took a good one, and if someone knows anything just speak, just tell any clues, any piece of information."
The two j's lost their beloved Jim, but they still want another justice. Police want answers too. They want anyone with any information to pick up the phone call North Miami Police or Miami-Dade Crimstoppers and tell them what you know.
Even the smallest clue could break this murder mystery wide open, and if you have lost a loved one if you don't want people to forget give us a call and remind everyone you are still out for justice.
FOR MORE INFORMATION:
Out for JusticeMIAMI-DADE: 305-598-HELPBROWARD: 954-796-HELP