He Was 14 When They Were Killed: The Chynna & Blake Dickus Case

For 20 years, the murders of Chynna Dickus and her 10-year-old stepson Blake remained unsolved. In October 2026, prosecutors announced that Michael Jerome James had been indicted on two counts of murder—and that he was about 14 years old when the killings occurred. This documentary examines the daytime crime inside the family’s Franklin, Indiana home, the strange series of nearby burglaries involving T-shaped cuts in window screens, the decades-long investigation, and the evidence prosecutors have not yet made public. Michael Jerome James has been charged, not convicted. He is presumed innocent unless and until the state proves the allegations beyond a reasonable doubt. Grand jury evidence remains secret, and authorities have not publicly confirmed a DNA match, confession, motive, or connection between James and the burglary series. CHAPTERS 00:00 The 20-Year Breakthrough 02:22 Chynna and Blake 03:09 Inside the Aberdeen Drive Home 04:36 The T-Shaped Break-Ins 05:28 The Burglary Theory 06:39 Years Without an Arrest 07:40 A Prosecutor Returns 08:56 What Forensics Has Revealed 10:12 The $100,000 Reward 11:10 The Grand Jury Indictment 11:22 The Defendant Was 14 12:09 Juvenile Law Questions 13:11 Motive Still Unknown 13:42 Does the Burglary Evidence Connect? 15:07 What the Grand Jury Knows 16:07 The Trial Ahead 16:34 What Time Changed 18:19 The Question Prosecutors Must Answer #ChynnaDickus #BlakeDickus #TrueCrime #ColdCase #MichaelJeromeJames