An Indiana man accused of killing a boy and stepmom when he was a teen has been arrested after 20 years on the run.
asserted
he → accuse → run
Michael Jerome James, 35, was arrested at his Shelbyville home on Friday – more than two decades after Chynna Dickus, 26, and her stepson, Blake Dickus, 10, were found stabbed to death in their Franklin home.
asserted
Dickus → arrest → home
Franklin Police, Shelby County Police, and an FBI agent arrested the suspect, his neighbor Dale Fornett told Fox59.
asserted
neighbor → arrest → Fox59
James would’ve been 14 at the time of the killings but Lance Hamner, a Johnson County prosecutor, said the suspect, who has been indicted on two counts of murder, will be tried as an adult.
asserted
who → say → adult
Prosecutors have not disclosed the evidence they say link James to the double murders.
asserted
they → disclose → murders
“All I can say is that [police] brought us an investigation that we took to the grand jury,” Hamner said.
asserted
Hamner → say → jury
“The grand jury listened to the evidence over a period of three weeks and then they returned that indictment.
asserted
they → listen → indictment
The bodies were found inside the home by Sean Dickus — the boy’s father — in July 2006 after he returned home from work.
asserted
he → find → work
Chynna Dickus was stabbed to death, while Blake Dickus was knifed, beaten and suffocated.
asserted
Dickus → stab → death
It has since emerged that James grew up just a few miles away from the murder scene, a source close to the investigation told WTHR.
asserted
source → emerge → WTHR
Texas-born James, who lived in the Shelbyville area for the past two years after leaving Franklin, according to neighbors, was adopted by his aunt after his mom’s death and they moved to Indiana.
uncertain
they → bear → Indiana
The source revealed James and his sister were removed from their Texas home by Child Protective Services as his mom battled drug addiction.
asserted
mom → reveal → addiction
The motive of the killings still remains unclear – despite the arrest.
uncertain
motive → remain → arrest
“What was in his mind at the time, being that young to want to do something to those people, especially the little boy?” James’ neighbor, Nancy Nigh, told Fox59.
asserted
neighbor → want → Fox59
In 2015, investigators suspected burglaries may have been linked to the murders.
uncertain
burglaries → suspect → murders
One burglary happened on the day Chynna Dickus and Blake Dickus were killed.
asserted
Dickus → happen → day
Cops also investigated whether there was a domestic violence link.
asserted
Cops → investigate → ?
Kirby Cochran, the Franklin Police Chief, hailed officers for refusing “to let the case grow cold,” reacting to the indictment.
asserted
case → hail → indictment
“For 20 years, Blake and Chynna’s families have carried the weight of an unimaginable loss, waiting for this day,” he said.
asserted
he → carry → day
“On behalf of the Franklin Police Department, I want them to know that we have never forgotten their loved ones and we have never stopped seeking justice.
asserted
we → want → justice
“[Officers] sustained effort brings a measure of resolution for the victims, their families and the community.
asserted
effort → bring → victims
“This indictment represents the culmination of 20 years of persistent and professional investigative work.
asserted
indictment → represent → work
“Detectives reviewed evidence, pursued new leads, leveraged advances in forensic science, and remained committed to Blake, Chynna, and their families every step of the way.
asserted
Detectives → review → way
”
Cops are not looking for any other suspects or co-conspirators in relation to the killings, Hamner said.
asserted
Hamner → look → killings
Friday’s arrest came just days after the reward for information on the killings quadrupled to $100,000.
asserted
reward → come → 100,000
“It is time for those who know something to come forward.
asserted
who → know → something
It is time for answers,” Hamner said.
asserted
Hamner → say → answers
The Aporia
