Steven Brent Nickell, 33, was shot to death inside a home in the 6100 block of South Grant County Road 500-E in Gas City, Indiana, on February 10, 2020. A carpenter by trade, Nickell was born in Morehead, Kentucky, on May 21, 1986. The residence belonged to a woman who was the half-sister of the man who killed him and was also Nickell’s former girlfriend.

The shooter was 42-year-old Matthew Shannon Whitt of Wabash, Indiana. Whitt struck Nickell in the head and chest. In the hours after the shooting Whitt gave conflicting accounts, first saying he had been attacked by an intruder he shot in self-defense and later saying he shot Nickell after Nickell entered the house with a gun. Deputies had been called to the same address eight days earlier after Nickell reported being beaten by Whitt and another man. Whitt had prior convictions for arson and burglary that prohibited him from possessing a firearm.

A jury later convicted Whitt of murder, unlawful possession of a firearm by a serious violent felon, and obstruction of justice, and he received a lengthy prison sentence. Does anyone have additional information about Nickell’s last days or the earlier incident at that address?