Michael James, 35, was arrested on Friday and charged with the murders of Chynna Dickus, 26, and her 10-year-old stepson Blake. The pair were found stabbed to death in their Franklin, Indiana home in July 2006 during what police described as a burglary. The Franklin Police Department stated that for 20 years, the families of Blake and Chynna had "carried the weight of an unimaginable loss, waiting for this day."
At the time of the murders, James was 14 years old. A year later, in 2007, James spoke to KLTV about the death of his mother, Janet Stroup. Stroup, who struggled with substance abuse, went missing in 1998 and was later found dead in a field in Longview, Texas. Foul play was suspected, but no arrests were made in her case.
James and his sister were placed in foster care due to their mother's addiction and were eventually adopted by their aunt in Indiana. In 2007, James and his family returned to Texas for Stroup's funeral, during which he gave an emotional interview about his mother.
"She loved me and my sister a lot," James said at the 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." He added, "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." When asked what he would say to his mother, he replied, "I love her. That I’m doing fine. You don’t have to worry about me because Aunt Linda is there."
Prosecutors now allege that James was concealing his involvement in the deaths of Dickus and Blake at the time he gave the interview. He was arrested in Shelbyville, Indiana, on two counts of murder and is expected to make his first court appearance this week. Police Chief Kirby Cochran indicated that forensic science played a crucial role in leading to James's arrest in the 20-year-old cold case.
