(Story courtesy of WVLT News)

Maryville, TN (WVLT) The case of Michael Keith Fine was dismissed last month. The latest update in the 1977 cold case comes after he was indicted in 2023 for the murder of his parents when he was 80.

The case was dismissed on Aug. 15 at cost to the state, meaning Fine will not be responsible for any court costs. It also means there’s still no answer in the deaths of Helen and Maynard Fine.

In 2023, investigators announced that they had linked Michael Fine to the murders with evidence that tied him to the murder weapon. That revelation came almost 50 years after the two deaths.

Also in 2023, Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp said investigators were looking for a woman who was believed to live with the Fines at the time of the murders. She was believed to be 18 at the time and was never identified.

WVLT News reached out to both District Attorney General Ryan Desmond and Crisp. They provided a joint statement:

The role of law enforcement and prosecutors is to hold criminals accountable for their actions through the fair and ethical enforcement of the State’s criminal laws.  Shortly after taking office, the Maryville Police Department provided the District Attorney’s Office with sufficient evidence, based on a recently completed cold case investigation, to present this case to the Blount County Grand Jury, who indicted Michael Fine for the premeditated double murder of his parents, Maynard and Helen Fine. 

The decision to prosecute Mr. Fine was not made lightly.  While it was obviously not ideal that forty-six years had passed, neither the District Attorney’s Office nor the Maryville Police Department could change the fact that so much time had elapsed between the murders and when the case was presented.  As Tennessee law clearly holds there is no statute of limitations for first-degree murder, after discussing the options with Maynard and Helen’s other remaining family, the decision was made to move forward with the prosecution of their murders. 

We are in the process of informing Maynard and Helen’s family of today’s (Friday, August 15, 2025) outcome, and will discuss with them what, if any, additional steps may be taken. – District Attorney General Ryan Desmond and City of Maryville Police Chief Tony Crisp

The case of the Fines’ murders is also the Maryville Police Department’s oldest cold case.