Judge denies motions to dismiss indictment in former Letcher County Sheriff Mickey Stines murder case
LETHCHER COUNTY, Ky. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – A Letcher County Circuit Court judge has denied multiple motions filed by former Letcher County Sheriff Shawn “Mickey” Stines in his ongoing murder case, including a motion to dismiss the indictment and a motion to unseal a sealed Kentucky Psychiatric and Correctional Center (KCPC) evaluation, according to court records.
In a series of rulings entered Thursday, Special Judge Christopher T. Cohron denied Stines’ request to dismiss the indictment, which charges him with murder in the September 2024 shooting death of Letcher County District Judge Kevin Mullins. The court also denied Stines’ separate motion to unseal his KCPC mental health evaluation, finding the request was tied to arguments already rejected by the court.
According to the court’s findings, a Letcher County Grand Jury indicted Stines on Nov. 21, 2024, after reviewing video evidence and hearing testimony from Kentucky State Police Detective Clayton Stamper. The court noted that video footage showed Stines shooting Judge Mullins multiple times inside the judge’s chambers. That same footage had previously been played during Stines’ preliminary hearing in October 2024 and before the grand jury in November.
Stines’ defense argued that prosecutors presented false or misleading testimony to the grand jury, particularly regarding his mental state and possible connections to an unrelated civil lawsuit involving former Sheriff Ben Fields. The defense claimed those alleged misrepresentations tainted the grand jury proceedings and should result in dismissal of the indictment.
However, the court ruled that the Commonwealth met its burden of establishing probable cause for the murder charge and that the defense failed to prove prosecutorial misconduct that would justify dismissing the indictment. The judge wrote that even if certain omissions occurred, the video evidence alone was sufficient to support the grand jury’s decision to indict.
In a separate order, the court granted Stines’ request for a bond hearing but ruled he may not introduce the sealed KCPC evaluation as evidence during that hearing. The court said it will first hear evidence to determine whether Stines is legally eligible for bail under Kentucky law.
To sustain a murder charge under Kentucky law, prosecutors must show that a person was unlawfully killed and that the accused acted with specific intent to kill. The court emphasized that defenses related to extreme emotional disturbance or insanity may be raised later in the legal process but do not prevent a grand jury from returning an indictment.
Stines was arrested and charged with murder the same day Judge Mullins was killed in September 2024. The case remains pending in Letcher Circuit Court.
No bond date has yet been publicly announced.
