An Indiana man, who has been on the run for 20 years, was arrested for the murders of a boy and his stepmother. Michael Jerome James, now 35, was apprehended at his home in Shelbyville on Friday. This follows the brutal stabbings of Chynna Dickus, aged 26, and her stepson, 10-year-old Blake Dickus, in their Franklin home.
The arrest involved collaboration between Franklin Police, Shelby County Police, and an FBI agent. A neighbor of James, Dale Fornett, spoke about the incident on Fox59.
At the time of the murders, James was just 14 years old, but a Johnson County prosecutor, Lance Hamner, indicated that he will be tried as an adult since he has been indicted on two counts of murder. Interestingly, prosecutors have not revealed what evidence links him to the crimes.
Hamner noted, “All I can say is that [police] brought us an investigation that we took to the grand jury.” He went on to explain that the grand jury reviewed the evidence over three weeks before issuing the indictment.
Sean Dickus, the father of Blake, discovered the bodies in July 2006 when he returned from work. Chynna was found dead from stab wounds, while Blake’s death involved additional brutality, including being beaten and suffocated.
It was later uncovered that James had grown up just a few miles away from where the murders took place, according to a source familiar with the investigation. Originally from Texas, he had lived in the Shelbyville area for the last two years after moving from Franklin. Following his mother’s death, James was adopted by his aunt and relocated to Indiana.
The source mentioned that Child Protective Services had removed James and his sister from their home in Texas due to their mother’s struggles with drug addiction.
Despite the arrest, the motive behind the killings remains unclear. A neighbor, Nancy Nigh, expressed disbelief about the actions of someone so young towards a boy and his mother.
Back in 2015, investigators looked into possible connections between burglaries and the murders, noting that a burglary occurred on the same day as the killings. There were also inquiries into possible domestic violence links.
Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran praised the officers for their dedication to the case, emphasizing that they refused to allow it to be forgotten. “For 20 years, Blake and Chynna’s families have carried the weight of an unimaginable loss, waiting for this day,” he stated, assuring them that justice was still being sought.
This arrest comes shortly after the reward for information related to the case was increased to $100,000. Hamner urged anyone with knowledge about the events to come forward, highlighting the need for answers.
