Annette Hogan heard a noise outside of her Birmingham home and went to her back door to investigate.

It was then that someone opened fire on the 65-year-old great grandmother, hitting her twice in the abdomen. She lived for 12 more days, but never spoke again.

Now, 23 years later, her murder remains unsolved and still haunts those left behind, especially Hogan's husband Raymond. "If you mention her name, he still cries,'' said Geneva Yerby, Hogan's granddaughter. "He worshipped her and she worshipped him. "

Authorities announced earlier this year that the department's Cold Case Unit will highlight an unsolved homicide each month. The department in 2005 launched the Cold Case Unit and has made several high-profile arrests since its inception. There are 300-plus murders that remain unsolved in Birmingham dating back to 1951. Detectives are currently devising new ways to bring attention to the cases including the Cold Case Unit page on Facebook and, most recently, playing cards featuring unsolved cases. Those playing cards already have been put in the Birmingham City Jail and the Jefferson County Jail, and they are hoping to also get them into Alabama's prisons.

The Hogans lived at 212 65th Place North, and had lived there for years. They took in their three young grandchildren, including Yerby, and raised them as their own. He worked two jobs, and she took care of her grandkids and great grandkids.

Hogan liked to stay up late and clean the house when everyone else was asleep so she could wax her hardwood floors without all of the children tracking dirt in on them. It was about 1:30 a.m. on Oct. 3, 1992, when Hogan heard a noise behind their eastern Birmingham home.

She opened the wooden back door, but left the glass storm closed. She turned on the light, peered outside and was met with five bullets. Her husband, one of her granddaughters and all three of her great grandchildren - ages 7, 5 and 3, were home at the time.

A witness told police she heard three shots and went into Hogan's kitchen where she found her holding her stomach. Another witness reported seeing a bright orange Camaro or Firebird leave the alley after the shooting.

"My sister woke up first with all the commotion and they got her to the couch,'' Yerby said. "I think she was conscious but she couldn't really respond."

Hogan was rushed to Carraway Methodist Medical Center where she clung to life for nearly two weeks. The hospital staff fixed an empty room up for Raymond Hogan to stay in for his wife's entire hospital stay. "He stayed there around the clock,'' Yerby said of her grandfather.

But Hogan didn't recover and ultimately Raymond Hogan had to make the decision to remove his wife from life support. "That was hard for him,'' Yerby said. "They had been married 35 years and everywhere they went, they still held hands."

The family has long believed that Hogan's slaying resulted from some kind of activity at the rental house next door. "There was always drug activity there,'' Yerby said. "We think someone was in the back yard trying to steal the Chows for money. I don't really think they meant to shoot her. I think when she opened the door it scared them."

The bullets went through the storm door, and even struck the washing machine inside.

Yerby said the slaying was hard on everyone. "This all kinda tore the whole family apart,'' she said.

They haven't given up on finding the killer, and believe it's possible to do so. "I know and my family knows there are people who know what happened,'' Yerby said. "She was an innocent person. She didn't deserve any of it. She was kind to everybody. And my grandfather sure hasn't deserved living without her for the past 23 years."

One of Hogan's great grandchildren is now a Birmingham police officer. He works undercover so didn't want his name used, but said he was 7 years old when the shooting happened and he was in the home at the time of the shooting. "It's pretty hard being a police officer and being this close to a crime and knowing I can't do anything about it. It's kind of like you're helpless."

Raymond Hogan lived in the home for about five years after his wife's death, but eventually moved in with Yerby. "He didn't want to leave because he felt her presence there,'' Yerby said. "He called one night and said he'd heard a bunch of gunshots and decided it was time to go."

He has congestive heart failure and has not been well recently. He still yearns for justice. "My grandfather is 89 years old and to solve this at this point in his life would be very much closure for him,'' Yerby said. "It would be great to figure out who did it before he passes, but we all realize if it's not handled here, it will be handled. Someone will answer for it."

Anyone with information about Hogan's slaying is asked to call Crime Stoppers at 205-254-7777, Det. Ross at 205-297-8497 or Det. Brown at 205-297-8479.