MARYVILLE, Tenn. — An 80-year-old man was indicted on two charges Tuesday for allegedly killing his parents almost 50 years ago, Maryville Police Department Chief Tony J. Crisp and Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond said.
Michael Keith Fine, of Birmingham, Alabama, was taken into custody without incident. He is awaiting extradition to Tennessee, according to MPD.
On May 20, 1977, Helen and Maynard Fine were discovered dead in their home on Everett Avenue in Maryville. Autopsy results at the time revealed they had died from multiple gunshot wounds, MPD said.
The couple was found more than a week after their death, when a maintenance worker came to check on why their phones were off the hook. He then reported seeing Helen Fine's body in her car, and later, police found her husband Maynard's body in the home.
The indictments are the result of information from MPD to the Blount County Grand Jury on Nov. 6, 2023, according to MPD.
The case was reopened by the police department in May 2021. It is the department's oldest cold case, MPD said.
After a press release Wednesday, MPD and the Blount County District Attorney General Ryan Desmond, say they know the motive but do not want to reveal it to ensure nothing interferes with the trial.
Law enforcement is looking for a woman, who at the time of the murder, was around 18. Officials say she lived with the Fines and could know key information leading up to the double homicide. That individual is highly encouraged to call Maryville PD with any information available.
Chief Crisp also says he has been in contact with the Fine family, and they are relieved justice will be served.
The Maryville Police Department says they still have two cold cases to investigate, one in 1980, and another in 2002.