Judge denies recusal request in Mickey Stines murder case in Letcher County

LETCHER COUNTY, KY. (ABC36 NEWS NOW) – A judge has denied a motion to recuse himself in the murder case against a former Letcher County sheriff.

Special Judge Chris Cohron ruled he will remain on the case involving former Mickey Stines.

Stines’ defense team filed the motion in December, asking Cohron to step aside, arguing his impartiality could reasonably be questioned under Kentucky law.

As previously reported, Stines is charged in connection with the 2024 shooting death of Kevin Mullins.

The defense cited a past meeting where Mullins and Cohron sat near each other during a commission discussion on mental health as part of their reasoning for the motion.

However, according to the court order, video from that meeting shows no evidence that would call the judge’s impartiality into question.