Michael James, now 35, was arrested on Friday for the alleged murders of Chynna Dickus, 26, and her 10-year-old stepson Blake in Franklin, Indiana, in July 2006. The victims were found stabbed to death during a burglary at their home. Police offered a $25,000 reward but had no leads until recently. James was previously interviewed by KLTV in 2007 about his mother's death and gave an emotional account of her drug addiction and disappearance before she was found dead in Texas. Prosecutors now claim that James concealed his involvement in the murders during this interview.
Written locally by qwen2.5:14b on 2026-10-07,
using this article's own text rather than the other coverage of the
same event (that is the story summary below).
Story summary
In July 2006, Sean Dickus discovered the bodies of his wife Chynna Dickus, aged 26, and their stepson Blake Dickus, aged 10, stabbed to death in Franklin, Indiana. The case remained unsolved for two decades despite extensive investigations, including billboards offering a reward that eventually rose from $25,000 to $100,000. Recently, the police arrested Michael Jerome James, now aged 35, who was indicted by a grand jury in Johnson County for the murders. The suspect is alleged to have been just 14 years old at the time of the killings and will be tried as an adult. Previously, James had given emotional interviews about his deceased mother, adding another layer to this tragic case.
Written for “Cold Case Solved Arrest” on 2026-10-07,
grounded in this article and the 2 other(s) covering the same event.
A man who gave an emotional TV interview about the death of his mother when he was a teenager has now been accused of killing a woman and her stepson just months before.
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he → give → woman
Michael James, now 35, was arrested on Friday for the alleged murder of Chynna Dickus, 26, and her 10-year-old stepson Blake during a burglary at their home in Franklin, Indiana in July 2006.
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James → arrest → July
They were found stabbed to death in what police described as a 'senseless crime.'
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police → find → crime
Officers appealed for information on the case and offered a $25,000 reward but did not have any immediate leads.
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Officers → appeal → leads
James was 14 years old at the time, KLTV reported.
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KLTV → report → time
A year later, James spoke to KLTV about the death of his mom Janet Stroup.
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James → speak → mom
Stroup, a drug addict, went missing in 1998 and she was later found dead in a field in Longview, Texas.
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she → go → Longview
Police suspected foul play but no arrests were ever made.
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arrests → suspect → play
James and his sister had been put into a foster home due to their mother's substance abuse and were later adopted by their aunt, who lived in Indiana.
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who → put → Indiana
James and his family returned to Texas in 2007 to hold a funeral for Stroup, and he spoke to KLTV about her.
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he → return → her
Michael James gave an emotional interview about the death of his mom - now he's been accused of killing a woman and her stepson just months before
Chynna Dickus, 26, and her 10-year-old stepson Blake were found dead at their home in Franklin, Indiana in July 2006
James, now 35, was arrested on Friday
'
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James → give → Friday
She loved me and my sister a lot,' James said at the time.
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James → love → time
'She had a lot of problems but through it all she always really loved us, and she wanted to change but... just kind of hard.
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she → love → us
Now you don’t have to hope and wonder maybe what if she really is alive or if she was alive, did she leave because of me or anything like that.'
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she → have → that
James was also asked what he would say to his mom if he could speak to her.
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he → ask → her
'I love her.
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I → love → her
That I’m doing fine.
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I → do → ?
You don’t have to worry about me because Aunt Linda is there,' he said.
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he → have → me
Prosecutors now allege that James was hiding his involvement in the murders of Chynna and Blake the whole time.
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James → allege → Chynna
James was arrested in Shelbyville, Indiana on two counts of murder and is expected to make his first court appearance on Thursday.
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James → arrest → Thursday
The Franklin Police Department shared an emotional statement after James's arrest.
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Department → share → arrest
‘For 20 years, Blake and Chynna’s families have carried the weight of an unimaginable loss, waiting for this day,' it read.
'
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it → 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.
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we → want → justice
Stroup, a drug addict, went missing in 1998 and she was later found dead in a field in Longview, Texas
James and his family returned to Texas in 2007 to hold a funeral for Stroup
'
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James → go → Stroup
Today’s development is an important moment, not only for our department, but most importantly for the families and Blake and Chynna whose lives were taken from them.'
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lives → take → them
Police Chief Kirby Cochran said forensic science helped lead to James's arrest.
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science → say → arrest
The Aporia
