On a quiet street in Millington, Tennessee, concern grew for 49-year-old Rhonda Bishop-Dukes and her spouse, Brenda Dukes, when Rhonda’s mother hadn't heard from them for several days. This unsettling silence prompted her to visit their home on Matthews Road on June 6, 2016. What she discovered inside was a scene of tragedy; both Rhonda and Brenda were deceased.
The investigation into the double homicide quickly focused on a neighbor who lived across the street, 46-year-old Michael
Cullum. According to an arrest affidavit, Cullum confessed to the killings. He admitted to fatally shooting both Rhonda Bishop-Dukes and Brenda Dukes. His motive, as stated in the affidavit, was to steal painkillers from their home. After the initial gunshots, he reportedly left the scene, but realizing no one had heard the shots, he returned to take the medication. Cullum, who had a significant criminal history including arrests for burglary, theft, and robbery, was subsequently charged with first-degree murder in the perpetration of a robbery.
In October 2017, Michael Cullum entered an Alford plea for the murders of Rhonda Bishop-Dukes and Brenda Dukes. While not admitting guilt, the plea acknowledged that prosecutors had enough evidence for a conviction. This plea was part of a larger case against him, as he was also responsible for the deaths of another man and his daughter. Cullum was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole for the four murders, bringing a legal conclusion to a case that had deeply affected the community.
