Da Don :
On September 19, 2024, Letcher County (Kentucky) Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines allegedly walked into the chambers of District Judge Kevin Mullins at the Letcher County Courthouse in Whitesburg, Kentucky, and shot him multiple times. The judge later died from his wounds.
• Stines surrendered to police at the scene shortly after the shooting.
📌 Criminal charges and legal status
• Stines was arrested and charged with murder, specifically the murder of a public official — a very serious charge in Kentucky.
• He pleaded not guilty in November 2024 and has been held in jail without bond.
• His defense has been working on motions, including attempts to dismiss the indictment and seeking access to his mental health evaluations; there is also a discussion of whether his legal team will pursue an insanity or “extreme emotional disturbance” defense.
📌 Trial and proceedings
• As of the latest available reports (January 2026), no trial has yet taken place. Motions are ongoing, and decisions about judges and venues are still being worked out.
• A hearing scheduled in late 2025 was delayed, and it remains unclear when the case will proceed to full trial.
❗About the “affair with his daughter” detail
• There is no verified evidence in official news reports or court records that Judge Mullins had an affair with Stines’ daughter. That specific claim appears to be rumor circulated on social media and discussion forums, not substantiated by credible reporting.
• Investigators did look into possible connections between Mullins and Stines’ family during the investigation, but family members said there was no contact between Mullins and Stines’ daughter, and no evidence supporting the affair claim was found.
🧠 Allegations and context around the judge
• Separately, other individuals have made unverified claims that Judge Mullins engaged in improper behavior or misconduct, but those are not part of official charges connected to this murder case, and they remain allegations from private individuals, not proven facts in court.
2026-02-06 06:12:16