James Franklin “BJ” Dickerson Jr., a 35-year-old Black man, was killed during a violent home invasion south of Bridgeville, Delaware, in the early hours of January 7, 2016. Dickerson, who was visiting and staying as a guest at a residence at 20963 Conrail Bridge Road, was inside when several armed intruders entered the home. At approximately 12:40 a.m., authorities received a 911 call reporting a home invasion and gunfire. When Delaware State Police troopers arrived, they found Dickerson in the kitchen suffering from fatal gunshot wounds, including a wound to the head. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The state police cold-case record states that he was shot multiple times inside the residence.
Police officers from Bridgeville and Seaford joined state troopers in searching the surrounding area for the attackers and any vehicle that might have been used in their escape. Despite the immediate response, officers did not locate the armed intruders, a suspicious vehicle, or anyone publicly identified as a suspect. Investigators initially described the perpetrators only as several armed individuals, and authorities reported that no additional suspect descriptions had been developed. Detectives appealed to neighbors and members of the public for information that could identify anyone involved or establish what led the group to target the house.
The violence surrounding the property continued later that same day. Shortly before 10 p.m., roughly twenty-one hours after Dickerson was killed, someone fired at least one shot from outside toward the same Conrail Road residence. The bullet struck a front bedroom window, leaving visible damage, but no one inside was injured. Police described the later incident as a drive-by shooting. Public reports did not establish whether the gunfire was intended to intimidate witnesses, was connected to the home invasion, or arose from a separate dispute, but the second attack deepened concern in a community where neighbors said violence of that kind was unusual.
Dickerson was known to relatives and friends as “BJ.” His obituary identified him as the son of James F. Dickerson Sr. and the late JoAnn Dredden, and said he had attended schools in the Woodbridge School District before later obtaining his GED. Funeral services were held on January 20, 2016, followed by burial at Sunset Memorial Park in Dover.
No publicly available law-enforcement update identifies a named suspect, arrest, criminal charge, trial, or conviction in Dickerson’s killing. Delaware State Police continue to list his death as an unsolved cold case under case number 05-16-001312, describing the crime as a home invasion involving several armed suspects. The available records indicate that the identities of the intruders remain unknown and that investigators have continued to seek information from anyone who may know who entered the residence, supplied transportation, helped plan the invasion, or assisted the perpetrators afterward.
