Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 18

Michael Jerome James Indicted in 2006 Franklin Double Murder After 2025 Law Opened Adult Court

Updated

Updated · Fox News · Oct 18

Michael Jerome James Indicted in 2006 Franklin Double Murder After 2025 Law Opened Adult Court

Q: What hidden forensic clue finally trapped a suspect nearly two decades after a brutal double homicide?

The key forensic clue has not been publicly identified. Prosecutors have said only that forensic evidence produced the first major break that linked Michael Jerome James to the 2006 killings of Blake and Chynna Dickus, but they have not disclosed whether that evidence was DNA, fingerprints, touch evidence, or another lab finding. What is clear is that investigators say the case did not suddenly turn on a new witness or confession. Instead, the breakthrough came from forensic work developed over time in a long-cold case that had consumed tens of thousands of investigative hours, public appeals, and reward offers. The unusual delay in charging James was not described as an evidence problem alone. Prosecutor Lance Hamner said authorities had identified him as a suspect years ago, but Indiana’s juvenile-jurisdiction law created a barrier because James was about 14 at the time of the crime and had aged out of juvenile court before charges were filed. Only after lawmakers revised the statute in 2025 did prosecutors say they had a viable path to indict him. So the short answer is that the “hidden forensic clue” remains undisclosed. The public record shows that forensic evidence helped trap the suspect, but officials have not yet revealed the specific piece of evidence.

2 articles · Updated · Fox News · Oct 18

Michael Jerome James, now 35, appeared in Johnson Circuit Court after a grand jury indicted him on four murder counts in the July 24, 2006 killings of 10-year-old Blake Dickus and 26-year-old Chynna Dickus.
Prosecutors say they had identified James years earlier but could not charge him because he was 14 at the time, leaving the case trapped between juvenile and adult court under Indiana law.
A 2023 statute meant to address that gap failed after Indiana appellate courts rejected its use in another case, prompting lawmakers to pass a new 2025 law that prosecutors say finally allowed the charges.
Defense lawyer Mike Cunningham argues Indiana still cannot prosecute James as an adult for a pre-2023 offense, setting up a jurisdiction fight that could decide whether the case proceeds.
Authorities have not disclosed the forensic evidence linking James to the nearly 20-year-old killings; he is jailed without bond, with an attorney deadline of Nov. 2 and a pretrial conference set for Dec. 10.