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Suspect Arrested in 20-Year-Old Johnson County Cold Case Murders of Young Boy, Stepmother
The indictment follows a renewed investigation that used new leads and forensic advances after police spent years searching for the killer.
- A Johnson County grand jury indicted 35-year-old Michael Jerome James on two counts of murder for the 2006 deaths of Chynna Dickus, 26, and her stepson Blake Dickus, 10. Police took James into custody following a three-week evidence review.
- Franklin Police Chief Kirby Cochran stated the department never stopped seeking justice for Chynna and Blake after their 2006 deaths. Officers spent 20 years investigating the cold case, logging "tens of thousands of man-hours" without identifying a suspect until now.
- Investigators linked the 2006 killings to a series of five local burglaries where intruders cut window screens in a "T-pattern." Forensic advances and new leads eventually pointed to James, who was about 14 at the time of the murders.
- Johnson County Prosecutor Lance D. Hamner increased the reward for information from $25,000 to $100,000 on September 25 to encourage cooperation. Hamner left his judgeship in 2022 to seek justice for the family, citing the case's long-standing impact.
- James faces his first court appearance Thursday morning in Johnson Circuit Court. The unsealed indictment suggests the killings likely occurred during an attempted burglary, providing new investigative context for the two-decade-old case.
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Shelbyville Man Arrested in 2006 Franklin Double Murder of Boy and Stepmother
Michael Jerome James, 35, has been arrested and indicted on two counts of murder in the 2006 stabbing deaths of 10-year-old Blake Dickus and his stepmother Chynna Dickus in Franklin, Indiana; James was 14 at the time but will be tried as an adult.
Indiana Murder Suspect Michael Jerome James Arrested 20 Years After Boy and Stepmom Killed
Internewscast Internewscast An Indiana man accused of killing a 10-year-old boy and his stepmother… This Post: Indiana Murder Suspect Michael Jerome James Arrested 20 Years After Boy and Stepmom Killed first appeared on Internewscast
Coverage Details
Total News Sources12
Leaning Left1Leaning Right2Center6Last UpdatedBias Distribution67% Center
Bias Distribution
- 67% of the sources are Center
67% Center
11%
C 67%
R 22%
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