Murder Arrested in 20 Year Case in Franklin, IN

Nigel (0:00)

20 years ago, in Franklin, I actually, I mean, I remember this.

And it was horrible. It was just, Hammer, I'm so glad there is justice finally being, I don't know what you call it, there was some justice going on here for the murders.

Hammer (0:21)

Yeah, and...

Nigel (0:21)

In Franklin.

Hammer (0:23)

Hat tip to the authorities who did not stop, you know, investigating this case over 20 years. A lot of people thought this had officially become like a cold case, the murder that took place of the Dickus family back in Franklin. But Franklin Police Department detectives were able to put handcuffs on Michael Jerome James, 35 years old.

They arrested him Friday afternoon at his home in Shelbyville, and they took him to the Johnson County Jail to be held without bond, pending the release of sealed indictments and the scheduling of an initial hearing.

Nigel (1:04)

20 years.

Hammer (1:05)

Yeah.

Nigel (1:05)

Ten-year-old Blake and 26-year-old step-mom China Dickus.

Hammer (1:13)

Imagine the family and the loved ones, man. You finally get some sort of relief. Maybe it's a feeling of justice. I mean, we're not quite at the justice part yet. But knowing that an arrest has been made, it's so, so big for these family members. Because I would imagine the Spearer family, Lauren Spearer, the girl that went missing in Bloomington. If her family were to wake up tomorrow and they were told an arrest has been made in regards to the murder or disappearance of your daughter, they would feel relief. I don't want to speak for them, but that's how I would feel.

So joining us now on the hotline is the Johnson County prosecutor Lance Hamner. Lance, let's get right to it here.

It's been 20 years. How did we get to the point to where Michael Jerome James was taken into custody? How did we get to this point?

Lance Hamner (2:13)

Well, first of all, the Franklin Police Department never gave up. The Franklin Police Department, I would say, I think it would be fair to say they don't believe in a cold case. What they believe in is continuing to work on a case as long as they can find leads. And that's what they were doing. So at some point, they developed a new lead and they followed it.

And culminating in, ultimately, this investigation, which led to a grand jury investigation, which led to the indictments.

Hammer (2:43)

So tell me what you can. I know there's a lot that you can't tell us, as this is still an ongoing investigation. But tell us about this grand jury. Is this where maybe some information came that led us to Michael Jerome James?

Lance Hamner (3:01)

The purpose of a grand jury is to test evidence and to expand evidence. That is to seek out new information. And although I can't talk about any of the things that happened in the grand jury, that's the purpose of it. And we found the use of the grand jury to be very helpful.

Hammer (3:22)

So over the last 20 years, had there been tips still coming in? You mentioned earlier, the Franklin Police Department, they never viewed this as a cold case, but it's been 20 years. Were they constantly working on this? Were tips still coming in?

Lance Hamner (3:41)

I think a fair characterization would be that the tips waxed and waned, but they never let up on it. And when one investigator would retire, they would bring in the next investigator and get them up to speed on it, and then they would continue to review it and look at new and different ways to expand the investigation. I wish I could talk more about it, but I just can't talk about what that investigation disclosed.

Hammer (4:10)

Okay, and trust us, we totally do not want the investigation to compromise. We absolutely get that. At what point will we know what happened, what led to the arrests of this individual?

Lance Hamner (4:26)

Most of it, I think most of the evidence you won't be able to see until it is, until the trial begins to unfold. That's just what happens with the grand jury is what happened, what occurs in the grand jury, what is heard and what is received by the grand jury is secret by law and kept that way. Moreover, we have, we're not allowed to talk about the evidence because it has a potential to taint a jury one way or the other, and there is a presumption of innocence that continues unless and until a person is convicted by a trial jury.

So that's where we are right now is we are holding the evidence back as required by law and we will produce it at the time of trial.